A U G U 5 T LANE VOL 34 NO8 2006

CONTENTS 1 Straight amp Level

by Geoff Robison

2 VAA News

4 Wing Dolly Keeping it off the floor and easy to work on by Donald D Watt Sr

6 Restoration Corner Inspection and storage by EE Buck Hilbert

8 A 1947 Global Flyer-The City of the Angels First Iightplane to fly around the world by Sparky Barnes Sargent

16 Member Stories-Highlighting Individuals Harold G Scheck by Robert G Kroll

1 8 Five-One Foxtrot Dean Richardsons Grand Champion Contemporary by HG Frautschy

26 What Our Members Are Restoring

28 The Vintage Instructor Gettin old by Doug Stewart

30 Shock Cords Know when to change them by HG Frautschy

34 Pass It to Buck One more turn on turnbuckles by EE Buck Hilbert

36 Mystery Plane by HG Frautschy

38 Calendar

40 Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER Sparkling above the scattered clouds near Oshkosh Dean Richardson flies his 2005 EM AirVenture Oshkosh Grand Champion Contemporary 1966 Cessna 180H for EMs camshyera plane EM photo by Brett Brock

BACK COVER Harry Mutters beautiful restoration of the 1947 Piper Super Cruiser The City of the Angels is backlit as it flies towards a Florida sunset just prior to the Sun n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland Florida The airplane the same one flown by George Truman during his record-setting around-theshyworld flight (accompanied by Clifford Evans in an identical Super Cruiser) was the flagship of this past springs 70th anniversary recreation of the Cub Convoy EM photo by David Carlson

STAFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny EAA EditormiddotinmiddotChief Scott Spangler Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy Administrative Assistant Jennifer Lehl Managing Editor Kathleen Witman News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Bartel Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Louise Schoenike Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw Display Advertising Representatives Northeast Allen Murray Phone 609-265-1666 FAX 609-265-1661 e-mail alelllllllrraymilldsprillgcolII

Southeast Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-573-0586 FAX 727-556-0177 e-mail cbcllImlJ i lIIillcisprillgcolII

Central Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932 FAX 816-741-6458 e-ma il tuddSpc-lIIagcom

Mountain amp Pacific Keith Knowlton amp Associates Phone 770-516-2743 e-mail kekllowltollmilldsprillgcol1l

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

AirVenture is coming This months column is being writshy

ten from the grounds of EAA AirshyVenture Oshkosh We are now at the starting gate for AirVenture 2006 and the gun is about to go off For those of you who were in attendance I trust you had a great adventure

As most of you are likely already aware we start planning for next years event the day after AirVenture closes So please while the memoshyries are fresh in your mind let us know what your thoughts are about improving upon the Vintage Aircraft Association side of the worlds greatshyest aviation extravaganza Although we routinely get a good number of positive comments mixed in with a small number of real concerns we really want to hear all of the good the bad and the ugly The adage We cant fix it if we dont know its broken really holds true here at VAA If you are so inclined to share your thoughts with us please feel free to contact us via e-mail at Vinshytageeaaorg or my personal e-mail at Chief7025aocom

Many thanks to the VAA staff the board of directors and staff at EAA as well for yet another excelshylent year Most importantly special thanks are owed to all of the wonshyderful volunteers whose enthusiasm endurance and strong backs are inshyvaluable to the success that EAAVAA enjoys each year

While were thanking people anshyother special group of volunteers who deserve special thanks and recshyognition are those valued members who are supporting our VAA conshy

vention efforts with monetary doshynations to the VAA Friends of the Red Barn fund-raising initiative The most amazing dynamic of this proshygram has been the number of susshytaining donors

special thanks and recognition to

those valued members who are

supporting our VAA convention efforts

with monetary donations to the

VAA Friends of the Red Barn

fund-raising initiative

The list of donors is rea ll y rich with these individuals who have continuously supported this initiashytive from the beginning of the proshygram Be assured that all donations are sincerely appreciated but those of you who support this program year after year are especially apprecishyated The 20052006 Red Barn proshygram was again successful in raising some serious cash that goes directly

to supporting the various initiatives and programs of the VAA during each years AirVenture Thanks folks

Speaking of friends a dynamic that continues to amaze me each year is the many friendships renewed and

the new friendships forged at AirshyVenture This really is the best part of the adventure for me Aviation for me at least is to be credited (my wife sometimes says blamed) for all these interesting and oftentimes long-term friendships I have accushymulated through my now 24 years of affiliation with the EAA

When it comes to friends aviashytion is a lot like an ice cream churn It just keeps turning out a wondershyful concoction known as friendshyships The longer you stay at it the better the concoction

Let me give you a recent example of what Im talking about A couple of weeks ago on a Saturday mornshying I was sitting in the hangar with the door open when I heard the disshytinct sound of an old Kinner When I looked up I cou ld see a Bird bishyplane entering the pattern here at Smith Field (SMD) The driver calls out his downwind leg over the ra shy

dio circles to land clears the main runway and taxis up to the FBO area Having never seen a Bird at SMD I asshysumed he was in need of some gas to get going on his way

When I saw the line boy assisting the Bird driver in getting the aircraft to the main hangar I went over and introduced myself to a gentleman by the name of Sam Dodge Sam is from

continued on page 33

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

EAA Voices Objections to Proposed Renewable Fuel Legislation

Two bills submitted in the US Congress Wednesday July 12 would amend the Clean Air Act to require all gasoline sold for use in motor veshyhicles to contain 10 percent renewable fuel by the year 2010 These days reshynewable fuel means ethanol and EAA and other organizations contend that would create a dilemma for aircraft owners and operators as avgas and auto fuel used by certain aircraft ownshyers would fall under the legislation

Separate studies by EAA Cessna and the FAA have proven that ethshyanol-blended fuels are harmful to recreational and general aviation aircraft and their fuel system comshyponents (rubber lines fuel pumps rubber seals and fuel tanks) Vapor lock is also a critical flight safety issue caused by the use of ethanol-blended auto fuel in aircraft engines

In separate letters to Rep Ralph M Hall (R-Texas) chairman Subcomshymittee on Energy and Air Quality and Sen James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) chairman Senate Environment and Public Works Committee EAA Presshyident Tom Poberezny made it clear that such a move would be harmful to aviation

Despite several attempts by EAA and others ethanol-blended gasoline all grades has not been able to meet the FAA flight safety fuel certification standards he wrote II As a result the FAA prohibits these STC holders from using auto fuel containing ethanol

EAA and Petersen Aviation have issued 57600 FAA-approved suppleshymental type certificates (STC) to type-certificated aircraft owners aushythorizing the use of auto fuel as their primary fuel

Both bills (HR 4357 Senate Bill 3553) exempt collector vehicles from the fuel mandate but do not address or exempt other types of recreational vehishycle operators including aircraft Nor do the bills provide a means for exempted

AUGUST 2006

operators to receive non-blended fuels Gas station operators and gasoline disshytributors are not encouraged to provide non-renewable blended fuel to the end exempted users

EAA recommends two modificashytions to the bills which mirror recshyommendations made to individual states that have considered renewable fuel mandates Exempt unleaded preshymium grade gasoline with an antishyknock index number of 91 or greater from the fuel mandate and exempt all grades of aviation gasoline (ie avgas) from the requirements of the 10 percent renewable fuel mandate

EAA further recommends the exshyemptions remain in place until the Department of Transportation can document that the industry-chosen renewable fuel is safe to operate in the engines and fuel systems in all modes of transportation recreational vehishycles aircraft and other equipment

EAAs Auto Fuel Alcohol Test Kit With more states welcoming and

even mandating ethanol in motor fushyels for automobiles EAA is helping pilots who use auto fuel in their airshyplanes stay safe with a new alcohol test kit available through EAA

For more than 30 years EAAs auto fuel supplemental type certificates (STCs) for a variety of manufactured aircraft have saved aircraft ownshyers money by allowing them to use unleaded auto fuel Such fuel withshyout ethanol is safe and effective for aircraft use based on more than 30 years of thorough testing

The addition of ethanol however creates chemical properties that are harmful to aircraft engines and fuelshying systems It is critical for aircraft owners using auto fuel to know if the gasoline being used in their aircraft is pure Some states do not require the marking of gas pumps indicating ethshyanol is present in the fuel so EAA recshyommends that all auto fuel be tested before fueling an aircraft

EAAs auto fuel alcohol test kit alshy

lows a pilot or aircraft maintenance technician to make preventive tests on auto fuel even before fuel is purshychased for an aircraft Simply pour washyter and then auto fuel in the included test tube and shake it to mix the conshytents When the mixture has settled within five to 10 minutes a gauge on the test tube indicates whether the water level has risen An increase in the amount of water on the gauge indicates that alcohol is present in the fuel The gauge will also indicate the percentage of alcohol EAAs test method is simpler than the previous remedies as much less fuel is used to make a determination

EAAs auto fuel test kit is a necshyessary tool for every auto fuel STC holder and its just $15 including shipping via US Postal Service Priorshyity Mail The kit includes padded inshysulation for the test tube so you can keep it in your aircraft without worshyrying about breakage The test kit is easy to use and will last as long as the glass does

The test kit can be ordered from EAA by calling 920-426-4843 or eshymailing DWalkereaaorg

FAA Offers SAIB Subscription Service

Now anyone can be notified inshystantly via e-mail when the FAA issues a special airworthiness inforshymation bulletin (SAlB) Visit www FAA govaircraftsafetyalertsSAIB click on Subscribe to this page and enter your e-mail address Then when a new SAIB is issued youll receive an e-mail alert

SAIBs alert educate and make recommendations to the aviation community Unlike airworthiness dishyrectives (AD) which are legally enshyforceable rules that apply to aircraft aircraft engines propellers and applishyances SAIBs contain non-regulatory information and guidance regarding specific situations

SAIBs have existed for decades but their use was resurrected significantly

2

in the late 1990s in an effort to head safety concerns with their aircraft off what the recreationalgeneral avishy Aircraft owners can help avoid fushyation community often perceived as ture ADs by addressing the issues highshythe unnecessary issuance of ADs By lighted in SAlEs that affect their aircraft subscribing to the FAAs SAIB page Because of this and for our own safety owners of certificated aircraft are enshy EAA and VAA encourage members to sured instant notification of potential subscribe to this FAA service

Late Summer Is for Pioneer Airport Two growing events at EAA AirVenture Museums Pioneer Airport are apshy

proaching one that harkens back to aviations golden age and the other a dual celebration of flight and ground-based transportation

EAA Wings and Wheels Cars and motorcycles join Pioneers pristine airplanes for this popular lateshy

summer event September 9 Cars and motorcycles of all makes models and years are welcome EAA will also have several airplanes from its collection along the flightline and photo opportunities will be available with these airplanes right next to the runway

Flights in one of EAAs vintage Pioneer-based aircraft will also be available and kids ages 8-17 can take a free Young Eagles flight in aircraft operating throughout the day

Registration for carscycles is $10 and runs from 8 to 11 am Museum adshymission is included for all occupants of the vehicle (This is a non-judging justshyfor-fun show)

To register call 920-426-6880 or e-mail Museumeaaorgfor more information

Relive Aviations Good 01 Days Step back in time when we celebrate the annual Good 01 Days of aviation

August 19-20 Youll be transported back to the golden age of aviation as staff members in period costume bring the excitement and adventure of early flight back to life

Good 01 Days activities include a childrens activity center where kids will have the opportunity to experience hands-on games that were popular during the golden age of aviation

See a variety of vintage vehicles on display or take a free ride around the EAA grounds in a vintage pre-WWII vehicle Visitors can tryout telegraph equipment by sending messages between two Pioneer Airport buildings

Airplane rides will be available throughout the weekend in the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor 1929 Travel Air biplane 1927 Swallow biplane and several Young Eagles airplanes

Visit wwwAirVentureMuseumorgfor more information And remember admisshysion is always free for EAA members

EAA Young Eagles to Soar Higher Thanks to ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips which has supshyported the EAA Young Eagles proshygram for more than a decade will provide even more assistance over the next five years allowing the program to expand Young Eagles flight activities The added support will enhance the curriculum of EAAs web-delivered aero sciences program augment the offerings of EAAs accredited residential aviashytion-learning camp in Oshkosh offer more scholarships to provide young people with flight trainshying higher education and career opportunities and develop addishytional programs

Since the Young Eagles programs inception in 1992 EAA-member pilots have provided first-flight exshyperiences to 125 million youth ages 8 to 17 Throughout the year EAAs 1000 local chapters conduct Young Eagles flight rallies and inshydividual EAA members regularly fly Young Eagles

EAAs Young Eagles and other youth-oriented programs impart solid values motivate achievement and make the study of math scishyence and geography fun said Jim Mulva chairman and CEO of ConoshycoPhillips ConocoPhillips is comshymitted to exposing young people to these types of engaging and fulfillshying educational opportunities while experiencing the thrill of flight

The EAA Young Eagles program is made possible through the efforts of many EAA volunteers both pishylots and ground-support personnel

Our EAA members donate their time talents and enthusiasm They pay for the fuel and refreshments They are the lifeblood of this proshygram which wouldnt exist without their generosity said EAA Presishydent Tom Poberezny

In addition to providing program support ConocoPhillips offers pilots flying EAA Young Eagles a $l-pershygallon rebate when they use their Phillips 66 credit card to purchase fuel for Young Eagles flights

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Keeping it off the floor and easy to work on BY DONALD D WATT SR

Ihave enjoyed being a member of your organizashy friend mentioned he needed something to support his tion and reading Vintage Airplane When I rebuilt my wings I sketched out the dolly and he made one Stearman I designed a dolly for the wings and center He gave it to the chapter when he no longer needed section It was made of wood was inexpensive and it I lent mine to another member who was rebuilding

required a minimum of welding At a chapter meeting a a Taylorcraft

( 516 lock bolt

(Jf -

L - bolts from

+~ JJ ~~Tt~~k~ ~wer leg longer

34XS bolt

than top)

AUGUST 2006 4

industrial casters

I have enclosed a drawing with my remarks about the construction Im no draftsman Maybe you have someone who can improve on the drawing (We sure do Tom Chipley did a great job for us in the same vein as the IIWordless Workshyshop drawings from Popular Mechanics-Ed)

The Stearman Restorers Association published the drawings in their magazine in 1996 and they have given permission for you to publish them in Vintage Airplane A chapter could easily make the dolly in a day

I was tired of asking my wife or a neighbor to help me move a wing in and out of my garage and turn it over on the sawhorses The diagram shows my solution

The support for the large wheels (mine came from a fershytilizer spreader-use whatever you can get your hands on) is two 2-by-4s each 4 feet long I bolted them together

Padding

~

cotterpin

~ OiiiO (

and drilled a 916shyinch hole to tightly clamp the 58-inch axles (use whatever axle size works for your wheels)

Then I drilled through the top 2shyby-4 into the axle and drove a nail to secure the axle A hole for a cotter pin was drilled to hold each wheel in place The top 2-by-4 has a cutout for the 4-byshy4 vertical support which is braced as shown (Wed sugshygest power-driven deck screws with pilot holes drilled for adding the l-by-4 bracing-Ed)

The padded cradle supports the leading edge of the wing and is not attached to the long rail-it simply slides up and down the long rail The 3shyinch swivel wheels at the open end allow the unit to be moved with ease by pushing on the wingtip Buy the ones with a lockshying function so it doesnt scoot all over the floor when you want it to stay put

The only welding required was to secure

the washers on the L-shaped rods On two of the large washshyers drill a hole for a nail so that when the units are lined up on the 2-by-4 support a nail through the washer will mainshytain alignment (We didnt show that on the drawing-Ed)

I installed the longer of the L bolts on the bottom so the forward spar can be started first The spacing of the L bolts is for a Stearman and will have to be adjusted for planes with different dimensions between the spars A nut is installed finger-tight on one of the L bolts to secure the spar in place The movable support swivels on a 34shyfoot-by-8-inch bolt with a pipe nipple installed for spacshying to clear the end of the L bolts

At the upper section of the 4-by-4 drill a 38-inch hole through the 4-by-4 support for a long 516-inch bolt to lock the support in the vertical position You dont lock it in the horizontal position-the wingtip is held in place by a sawhorse or two

The vertical position is great for rib stitching and layshying on the rib tapes

A friend rebuilt a Cub Cruiser He used the dolly for another covering purpose He removed the L bolts and bolted the front of the fuselage to the swivel 2-inch-byshy4-inch supported the rear and turned the fuselage as he shrank the fabric and applied the dope

Heres my list of parts You can adjust your list by the size you need for your dolly Remember the long rail should not extend all the way to the wingtip three-quarshyters of the way out is about right

1-Z x 4 x 12 board-main beam 1_1 x 4 x 8 board-side brace for 4 x 4 x 4 1-1 x 4 x 12 board-end brace plus saddle wood 1-2 x 4 x 10 board-axle support caster support 1_2 x 4 x 44 -long support for wing 1_4 x 4 x 4 board 1-516 x 8 hex head bolt-lock bolt 1-34 x 8 hex head bolt-pivot bolt 4-34 flat washers 6-38 flat washers 2_6 shelf brackets (not shown-use to brace 4 x 4

post if needed) 1-1 dia x 1-12 pipe nipple 2_10 wheels (from old fertilizer spreader) 1-2 shaft for wheels (cut in two) 12 axles 2-3 lockable casters 8-516 x 2-12 bolts for casters with washers lock

washers and nuts 8-14 x 3_12 hex bolts with washers lock washers

and nuts 4-38 nuts 4-nails (to lock axles and L bolt locations)

Note If this dolly is used for wings with attach bolts less than 12 inch in diameter the L-shaped support rods must be made a size smaller than the attach bolt For the Stearman I used two 38-inch rods one 10 inches long and the other 9 inches

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Current Editors Note This issue of Vintage Airplane contains one of a series of nine articles pertaining to the resshytoration of antique and classic airplanes Directors of the then-named AntiqueClassic Division of EAA originally wrote them in the mid-1980s but they are still relevant for todays vintage aircraft enthusiasts Our members have years of experience and a tremendous amount of talent however its likely everyone will learn something new from each article Please let us hear from you write to HG Frautschy Editor Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 or e-maiJ VintageAircra(teaaorg -HGF

Inspection and storage

Inspection ranges from that casual walk-around that first got you intershyested in this project at the beginning to a complete disassembly and maybe the use of special tools and procedures Since weve already seen the previous articles on the walk-around and weve now toted it home or to a place where we can work on it or store it well pick up the series from there

Paperwork Paperwork Keep it orderly and in a

safe place Hopefully the logs check out and the

paperwork and airworthiness directive (AD) notes are in order Start a file and keep records of what and how you went about inspecting each part and make notes on what you found and how it should be redone

If its a current airframe for which erection and maintenance manuals are on hand or available you have it made If its an antique or a one-of-a-kind and there is little or no existing information available then the burden is on you Youll need a system of record keeping with notes pictures and diagrams to reshymind yourself what the aircraft looked like before you took it apart where the parts are in the big picture and how the subassemblies go back together

I cant emphasize enough the imporshytance of keeping notes and pictures so when the time for rework and reassemshybly comes you have this information in front of you Also note any major defects and remember that what may seem like a shocking deficiency to you

BY EE BUCK HILBERT EAA 21 Ale 5)

may be an everyday routine item to someone running a shop A few words from a knowledgeable individual may make a little hump out of a mountainshyous problem

If there is a type club for your airshyplane apply immediately for membershyship The concentration of knowledge as well as a source for scarce parts will reshypay your investment many times over

Dont focus too tightly on details in all the photographs you take Youll be amazed at how helpful an overall piCshyture can be when reassembly time comes Problems of location position routing attachment methods etc dont occur to you before disassembly and they can beshycome a senseless jigsaw puzzle when reasshysembly time comes perhaps years later This is when a picture truly becomes worth the proverbial thousand words

Manuals EAA has how-to publications that

cover almost everything related to airshycraft A complete listing of these publishycations is free for the asking and these publications are also available on the EAA store website at wwwEAAorg Obshytain the listing and purchase the approshypriate manual(s) They will answer a lot of questions for you

Your local FAA General Aviation Disshytrict Office (GADO) or the Government Printing Office Book Store has an FAA Advisory Circular (AC) list available too (Now also available on the web at wwwFAAgov) These circulars pertain to iiPowerplant and iiAirframe and are available from

Supt of Documents DOT Publications Section M-4431 Washington DC 20590 Ask for FAA Advisory Circular checkshy

list AC 00-2 at the GADO There is a wide range of information available here and the price is right Even better now you can download many of the adshyvisory circulars right to your computer If you want to save them burn them to a CD and keep it handy

Get Help Regarding the inspection and storage

of your project I must tell you that speshycialized experience and skills may have to come into the picture At this point I cant do much more than try to guide you The actual inspection and the proceshydure you follow are up to you If you reshymotely suspect you need help to evaluate something get a mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (IA) to assist you

Factors to Consider Weather is an important considershy

ation Did this airplane come from the coast (saltwater) or the frozen north or a desert area where the atmosphere is kind Was it exposed to acid rain or other air pollutants These environshyments can be very detrimental Parts can and will oxidize and corrode Sun exposure will rot fabric and upholstery Moisture will provide the medium for electrolytic action and raise havoc tll cause dry rot in wood These are some of the insidious causes of deterioration and are often more serious than everyshyday wear and tear or damage from pre-

REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane MAY 1986

AUGUST 2006 6

industrial casters

I have enclosed a drawing with my remarks about the construction Im no draftsman Maybe you have someone who can improve on the drawing (We sure do Tom Chipley did a great job for us in the same vein as the IIWordless Workshyshop drawings from Popular Mechanics-Ed)

The Stearman Restorers Association published the drawings in their magazine in 1996 and they have given permission for you to publish them in Vintage Airplane A chapter could easily make the dolly in a day

I was tired of asking my wife or a neighbor to help me move a wing in and out of my garage and turn it over on the sawhorses The diagram shows my solution

The support for the large wheels (mine came from a fershytilizer spreader-use whatever you can get your hands on) is two 2-by-4s each 4 feet long I bolted them together

Padding

~

cotterpin

~ OiiiO (

and drilled a 916shyinch hole to tightly clamp the 58-inch axles (use whatever axle size works for your wheels)

Then I drilled through the top 2shyby-4 into the axle and drove a nail to secure the axle A hole for a cotter pin was drilled to hold each wheel in place The top 2-by-4 has a cutout for the 4-byshy4 vertical support which is braced as shown (Wed sugshygest power-driven deck screws with pilot holes drilled for adding the l-by-4 bracing-Ed)

The padded cradle supports the leading edge of the wing and is not attached to the long rail-it simply slides up and down the long rail The 3shyinch swivel wheels at the open end allow the unit to be moved with ease by pushing on the wingtip Buy the ones with a lockshying function so it doesnt scoot all over the floor when you want it to stay put

The only welding required was to secure

the washers on the L-shaped rods On two of the large washshyers drill a hole for a nail so that when the units are lined up on the 2-by-4 support a nail through the washer will mainshytain alignment (We didnt show that on the drawing-Ed)

I installed the longer of the L bolts on the bottom so the forward spar can be started first The spacing of the L bolts is for a Stearman and will have to be adjusted for planes with different dimensions between the spars A nut is installed finger-tight on one of the L bolts to secure the spar in place The movable support swivels on a 34shyfoot-by-8-inch bolt with a pipe nipple installed for spacshying to clear the end of the L bolts

At the upper section of the 4-by-4 drill a 38-inch hole through the 4-by-4 support for a long 516-inch bolt to lock the support in the vertical position You dont lock it in the horizontal position-the wingtip is held in place by a sawhorse or two

The vertical position is great for rib stitching and layshying on the rib tapes

A friend rebuilt a Cub Cruiser He used the dolly for another covering purpose He removed the L bolts and bolted the front of the fuselage to the swivel 2-inch-byshy4-inch supported the rear and turned the fuselage as he shrank the fabric and applied the dope

Heres my list of parts You can adjust your list by the size you need for your dolly Remember the long rail should not extend all the way to the wingtip three-quarshyters of the way out is about right

1-Z x 4 x 12 board-main beam 1_1 x 4 x 8 board-side brace for 4 x 4 x 4 1-1 x 4 x 12 board-end brace plus saddle wood 1-2 x 4 x 10 board-axle support caster support 1_2 x 4 x 44 -long support for wing 1_4 x 4 x 4 board 1-516 x 8 hex head bolt-lock bolt 1-34 x 8 hex head bolt-pivot bolt 4-34 flat washers 6-38 flat washers 2_6 shelf brackets (not shown-use to brace 4 x 4

post if needed) 1-1 dia x 1-12 pipe nipple 2_10 wheels (from old fertilizer spreader) 1-2 shaft for wheels (cut in two) 12 axles 2-3 lockable casters 8-516 x 2-12 bolts for casters with washers lock

washers and nuts 8-14 x 3_12 hex bolts with washers lock washers

and nuts 4-38 nuts 4-nails (to lock axles and L bolt locations)

Note If this dolly is used for wings with attach bolts less than 12 inch in diameter the L-shaped support rods must be made a size smaller than the attach bolt For the Stearman I used two 38-inch rods one 10 inches long and the other 9 inches

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Current Editors Note This issue of Vintage Airplane contains one of a series of nine articles pertaining to the resshytoration of antique and classic airplanes Directors of the then-named AntiqueClassic Division of EAA originally wrote them in the mid-1980s but they are still relevant for todays vintage aircraft enthusiasts Our members have years of experience and a tremendous amount of talent however its likely everyone will learn something new from each article Please let us hear from you write to HG Frautschy Editor Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 or e-maiJ VintageAircra(teaaorg -HGF

Inspection and storage

Inspection ranges from that casual walk-around that first got you intershyested in this project at the beginning to a complete disassembly and maybe the use of special tools and procedures Since weve already seen the previous articles on the walk-around and weve now toted it home or to a place where we can work on it or store it well pick up the series from there

Paperwork Paperwork Keep it orderly and in a

safe place Hopefully the logs check out and the

paperwork and airworthiness directive (AD) notes are in order Start a file and keep records of what and how you went about inspecting each part and make notes on what you found and how it should be redone

If its a current airframe for which erection and maintenance manuals are on hand or available you have it made If its an antique or a one-of-a-kind and there is little or no existing information available then the burden is on you Youll need a system of record keeping with notes pictures and diagrams to reshymind yourself what the aircraft looked like before you took it apart where the parts are in the big picture and how the subassemblies go back together

I cant emphasize enough the imporshytance of keeping notes and pictures so when the time for rework and reassemshybly comes you have this information in front of you Also note any major defects and remember that what may seem like a shocking deficiency to you

BY EE BUCK HILBERT EAA 21 Ale 5)

may be an everyday routine item to someone running a shop A few words from a knowledgeable individual may make a little hump out of a mountainshyous problem

If there is a type club for your airshyplane apply immediately for membershyship The concentration of knowledge as well as a source for scarce parts will reshypay your investment many times over

Dont focus too tightly on details in all the photographs you take Youll be amazed at how helpful an overall piCshyture can be when reassembly time comes Problems of location position routing attachment methods etc dont occur to you before disassembly and they can beshycome a senseless jigsaw puzzle when reasshysembly time comes perhaps years later This is when a picture truly becomes worth the proverbial thousand words

Manuals EAA has how-to publications that

cover almost everything related to airshycraft A complete listing of these publishycations is free for the asking and these publications are also available on the EAA store website at wwwEAAorg Obshytain the listing and purchase the approshypriate manual(s) They will answer a lot of questions for you

Your local FAA General Aviation Disshytrict Office (GADO) or the Government Printing Office Book Store has an FAA Advisory Circular (AC) list available too (Now also available on the web at wwwFAAgov) These circulars pertain to iiPowerplant and iiAirframe and are available from

Supt of Documents DOT Publications Section M-4431 Washington DC 20590 Ask for FAA Advisory Circular checkshy

list AC 00-2 at the GADO There is a wide range of information available here and the price is right Even better now you can download many of the adshyvisory circulars right to your computer If you want to save them burn them to a CD and keep it handy

Get Help Regarding the inspection and storage

of your project I must tell you that speshycialized experience and skills may have to come into the picture At this point I cant do much more than try to guide you The actual inspection and the proceshydure you follow are up to you If you reshymotely suspect you need help to evaluate something get a mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (IA) to assist you

Factors to Consider Weather is an important considershy

ation Did this airplane come from the coast (saltwater) or the frozen north or a desert area where the atmosphere is kind Was it exposed to acid rain or other air pollutants These environshyments can be very detrimental Parts can and will oxidize and corrode Sun exposure will rot fabric and upholstery Moisture will provide the medium for electrolytic action and raise havoc tll cause dry rot in wood These are some of the insidious causes of deterioration and are often more serious than everyshyday wear and tear or damage from pre-

REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane MAY 1986

AUGUST 2006 6

Current Editors Note This issue of Vintage Airplane contains one of a series of nine articles pertaining to the resshytoration of antique and classic airplanes Directors of the then-named AntiqueClassic Division of EAA originally wrote them in the mid-1980s but they are still relevant for todays vintage aircraft enthusiasts Our members have years of experience and a tremendous amount of talent however its likely everyone will learn something new from each article Please let us hear from you write to HG Frautschy Editor Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 or e-maiJ VintageAircra(teaaorg -HGF

Inspection and storage

Inspection ranges from that casual walk-around that first got you intershyested in this project at the beginning to a complete disassembly and maybe the use of special tools and procedures Since weve already seen the previous articles on the walk-around and weve now toted it home or to a place where we can work on it or store it well pick up the series from there

Paperwork Paperwork Keep it orderly and in a

safe place Hopefully the logs check out and the

paperwork and airworthiness directive (AD) notes are in order Start a file and keep records of what and how you went about inspecting each part and make notes on what you found and how it should be redone

If its a current airframe for which erection and maintenance manuals are on hand or available you have it made If its an antique or a one-of-a-kind and there is little or no existing information available then the burden is on you Youll need a system of record keeping with notes pictures and diagrams to reshymind yourself what the aircraft looked like before you took it apart where the parts are in the big picture and how the subassemblies go back together

I cant emphasize enough the imporshytance of keeping notes and pictures so when the time for rework and reassemshybly comes you have this information in front of you Also note any major defects and remember that what may seem like a shocking deficiency to you

BY EE BUCK HILBERT EAA 21 Ale 5)

may be an everyday routine item to someone running a shop A few words from a knowledgeable individual may make a little hump out of a mountainshyous problem

If there is a type club for your airshyplane apply immediately for membershyship The concentration of knowledge as well as a source for scarce parts will reshypay your investment many times over

Dont focus too tightly on details in all the photographs you take Youll be amazed at how helpful an overall piCshyture can be when reassembly time comes Problems of location position routing attachment methods etc dont occur to you before disassembly and they can beshycome a senseless jigsaw puzzle when reasshysembly time comes perhaps years later This is when a picture truly becomes worth the proverbial thousand words

Manuals EAA has how-to publications that

cover almost everything related to airshycraft A complete listing of these publishycations is free for the asking and these publications are also available on the EAA store website at wwwEAAorg Obshytain the listing and purchase the approshypriate manual(s) They will answer a lot of questions for you

Your local FAA General Aviation Disshytrict Office (GADO) or the Government Printing Office Book Store has an FAA Advisory Circular (AC) list available too (Now also available on the web at wwwFAAgov) These circulars pertain to iiPowerplant and iiAirframe and are available from

Supt of Documents DOT Publications Section M-4431 Washington DC 20590 Ask for FAA Advisory Circular checkshy

list AC 00-2 at the GADO There is a wide range of information available here and the price is right Even better now you can download many of the adshyvisory circulars right to your computer If you want to save them burn them to a CD and keep it handy

Get Help Regarding the inspection and storage

of your project I must tell you that speshycialized experience and skills may have to come into the picture At this point I cant do much more than try to guide you The actual inspection and the proceshydure you follow are up to you If you reshymotely suspect you need help to evaluate something get a mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (IA) to assist you

Factors to Consider Weather is an important considershy

ation Did this airplane come from the coast (saltwater) or the frozen north or a desert area where the atmosphere is kind Was it exposed to acid rain or other air pollutants These environshyments can be very detrimental Parts can and will oxidize and corrode Sun exposure will rot fabric and upholstery Moisture will provide the medium for electrolytic action and raise havoc tll cause dry rot in wood These are some of the insidious causes of deterioration and are often more serious than everyshyday wear and tear or damage from pre-

REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane MAY 1986

AUGUST 2006 6

vious accidents The scratches and dents resulting

from everyday use are usually apparshyent as are pop rivet repairs stop drilled holes tool marks etc Note and record all of these marks of routine mainteshynance to keep the airplane flying You can decide later how much attention they will require

What to Do With All These Pieces Realistically before you get to this

point you should already know where you are going to store the parts You should have an overall plan dependent on what type of storage is available when you plan to begin work what your shop facility is like and how much time you have to devote to the project

Weve already said a few words about weather and its effects Temperature changes promote condensation and that added to the contaminants in the air causes electrolysis That means corshyrosion rust and in drastic cases severe and sometimes irreversible damage

I recently visited a friend I hadnt seen in years Fred had acquired a Cessna 120 about 18 years ago His idea was to fix up the ground loop damage it had susshytained and then hed have an airplane to fly and share with his wife and kids In the meantime the kids grew up and left home The wife and he have gained so much weight there is no way they could even get into a Cessna 120 much less get it off the ground

But the horror part of this story is that corroded mass of aluminum junk sitting in the corner of the horse corral that vaguely resembles a Cessna 120 The engine compartment is still covshyered with a soggy horse blanket and the wings still attached have shredshyded fabric dangling The Cleco fastenshyers are rusted in place where the repair to the wingtip was begun those many years ago The mire and horse manure have made shambles of everything The wheels are buried in manure and the horse now 14 years old uses the little alcove between the wing fuselage and barn for shelter from the wind

Sounds dreadful doesnt it Its a cryshying shame that this once proud less than 800 hours total time machine had to give way to the pressures of everyday

living A job transfer lack of time and money and finally loss of interest were all contributory factors

I can relate other examples too I know where there is a Stinson V-77 and a Stearman duster-at an airport-in similar condition And the man who owns the V-77 has three Stinson 108s in his garage and backyard The one in the garage only needs final assembly thatll never happen He now has a heart conshydition and one day all this stuff will be carried off to the dump So many times we have seen this happen The precaushytions werent taken to properly store the airframe and its components in a safe and dry place

Where do we put it Garage Baseshyment Attic Hangar or loft If you have a choice pick the driest highest place you can find and then prepare racks and supports to hold the parts in a safe and secure manner so as to preserve them The wings can be stored flat against the wall up high on brackets with the leadshying edges down Or they can be racked on H frames and hung from the rafters or joists I find this to be the best way

The wings for my Swallow project back I did back in the 1970s all four of them were stored up high this way in a commercial trucking garage They surshyvived more than 40 years to be used again with only minor repairs and of course a re-cover This method gets them up and away from the mice and the destruction they cause The tail feathers also can be stored in the same manner

The fuselage presents more of a problem With the engine and gear atshytached it takes up a lot of room It can take up more than one stall in a two-car garage leaving precious little working area I stored a PT-23 fuselage without the center section up on the back wall crosswise above the car hoods by hangshying it from the rafters I worked on the wings in the basement laundry room and then stored them in the loft of my rented hangar until the center section was done Then the fuselage went into the shop and later the whole thing was assembled in the hangar

Often times of necessity we store our airplane parts helter-skelter Youre going to get back to it real soon when you have the time right I presently

have 11 Stearman bare bones fuselages stored here at the farm Theyre stacked four high against the far wall with the tail feathers gas tanks landing gears wheels and all kinds of stuff wedged and stuffed in between and around This was to be temporary and a favor to a friend almost four years ago Evshyerything is high and dry and subject to minimum weather conditions We used some planning when we stored the stuff and as a result we can still get vehicles in and out There is even room for a Hummer Ultralight a motor home and some other stuff

Hard and fast rules are hard to dicshytate I cant stress one thing enoughshydont cover an aircraft or its parts with wool blankets or tarps that capture and hold moisture Dust covers are nice but in this case its sometimes better to just leave components in the open air

Hang the prop horizontally from the hub Dont stand it in a corner Engine and steel parts are best protected in a dry atmosphere with a light coating of grease or oil Frequent checks should be made to assure no rusting is occurshyring Spray can technology has given preservation a break LPS-3 in an aeroshysol container provides an easily applied protective film good for at least a couple of years of normal storage An engine with several hundred hours on it will withstand storage much better than a zero-timer For any kind of storage long or short get out the book and follow the manufacturers recommendations

Dont expect to run an engine imshymediately after a long period of storage It at least will need some tender loving care and maybe even a top overhaul because the valve stems springs rings etc could have lost tension or become stuck You could put a huge dent in your pocketbook if you try to run one without taking proper precautions after its been stored for an extended period

In summary use common sense If you havent looked at your project or have done little more than think about it for several years the chances are you are only kidding yourself that you will ever complete it If you have stagnated on a project why not consider making it available to someone who will take a crack at it

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

When the new model PA-12 began rolling off the production line at Piper Aircraft Corp in Lock Haven Pennsylvania in 1946 it was dubbed the Super Cruiser-yet little did anyone guess that the following year a pair

of these lightplanes would add new meaning to that name by making a super cruise all the way around the globe

George Truman and Clifford Evans were both Army Air Corps veterans working as flight instructors at Brinckshyerhoff Flying Service in College Park Maryland in 1946 The story goes that one day a new PA-12 taxied by them at the airport and someone said that aircraft could be

flown around the world A seed was planted in the fershytile imaginations of these pilots and 39-year-old Truman teamed with 27-year-old Evans to secretly hatch a plan to do just that

They were both married with two young daughters each and didnt have money to spare-but they didnt let their lack of personal funding hinder their dream They approached Piper Aircraft Corp and William T Piper Sf agreed to mortgage two used Super Cruisers to them with the promise that if their flight was successful hed write the mortgage off and give them the airplanes The PA-12s were then modified by installing two 50-gallon fuel tanks

AUGUST 2006 8

in place of the rear seat This gave them 138 gallons of fuel yielding about a 2400-mile range-and when the tanks were filled to the brim each aircraft was 430 pounds over its normal gross weight When Piper Sr turned the planes over to the pilots he couldnt help but question them as to why they wanted to make a fool trip like this After all the PA-12 just wasnt designed with such an epic flight in mind

Next they purchased two new 100-hp Lycoming 0shy23S-C engines for the whopping sum of one dollar each McCauley gave them the first metal propellers to be used on PA-12 models and Kollsman Sperry Gyroscope and

Cliff Evans (left) and George Truman (right) with the PA-12 Super Cruiser at Lock Haven Pennsylvania when they picked up their aircraft from Piper Aircraft Corp (and before the McCauley metal prop was installed) The City of the Angels had previously been used in the Piper Taxicub service

George Truman (left) and Cliff Evans (right) with The City of the Angels upon arrival at Anchorage Alaska-note their winter flying suits

Bendix Radio Corp supplied (or lent) the necessary flight instruments and radios The PA-12s were instrument flight rules (IFR) equipped with heated pitot-static tubes and drop-down Grimes landing lights Goodyear gave them two new sets of tires and each pilot was supplied with the Navys air-sea safety and rescue kit

Truman christened NX3671M The City of the Angels after his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and Evans named NX236SM The City of Washington after his hometown Their plan was made viable in part by new airports that had been built during World War II at strategic geographic locations such as Greenland and the Aleutian Islands By

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Restorer David Liebegott and owner Harry Mutter with The City of the Angels at Plant City Florida in April 2006

late summer 1947 they had prepared themselves to become the first pilots to circumnavigate the globe crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in aircraft with 100-hp engines

The Flight Truman and Evans departed Tetershy

boro New Jersey on August 91947 with little more than small change jinshygling in their pockets and an Esso Gas credit card Truman launched first and the two soon lost sight and radio contact with each other on their first leg and landed at Presque Isle Maine The next day they flew on to Goose Bay Labrador where they encounshytered a weather delay They landed at Bluie West One Greenland on August 12 where they were further delayed when they became ill with influenza On August 24 they arrived at Meeks Field in Reykjavik Iceland and on August 28 they landed at Newtonards Ireland The same day when they landed at Croydon Airshyport in London England they were formally recognized as piloting the smallest planes ever to cross the Atshylantic Ocean

From London they flew on to Brusshysels Belgium and then to Ypenburg Holland on September 1 which was a specially planned stop to visit a Dutch family to whom the Evans family had been sending food and clothing since the war On Septemshyber 3 they arrived in Paris France and later flew on to Rome Italy and

10 AUGUST 2006

Cairo Egypt On September 11 they flew 808 miles from Farouk Field in Cairo to Baghdad Iraq Then it was on to Dhahran Saudi Arabia where they were detained for six days by authorities They arrived in Karachi Pakistan on September 19 and when they arrived in Jodhpur India they were treated as guests at the maharashyjahs palace

They reached the halfway point in their flight around the world in seven weeks time when they flew from Calshycutta India over the Burmese jungles and arrived in Rangoon Next they flew over the rugged mountain borshyder from Burma into Bangkok Siam and then on to Hanoi Indochina On September 29 they arrived in Hong Kong where they were delayed by typhoons until October 5 Later Trushyman and Evans found it necessary to land in Amoy China-an unplanned stop-due to 80-mph head winds They arrived in Shanghai China on October 9 stayed for a visit and then flew to Fukuoka Japan Onward from there they arrived in Tokyo on Octoshyber 19 and soon after they made it to Nemuro Field on Hokkaido Island (still in Japan)

The next leg of their flight was especially demanding and difficult They started on this 1680-mile flight over the north Pacific on October 28 and arrived at Shemya Island in Alaska 13 hours and 35 minutes later despite IFR and icing conditions Two B-17 Flying Fortresses provided es-

When Bill Piper Sr

turned the planes

over to the pilots

he couldnt help

but question them

as to why they

wanted to make a

fool trip like this

cort for the Super Cruisers during the flight-one out of]apan and the other one out of the Aleutians On October 31 Truman and Evans departed for Adak Island escorted once again by a B-17 along with a Navy PBY Catashylina On November 2 they arrived at Fort Randall in Cold Bay Alaska and they reached Anchorage on Novemshyber 4 Snowstorms and strong winds delayed them until November II Days later the pair finally made it to Lethbridge Alberta Canada

The day before Thanksgiving they departed Lethbridge to fly about 1200 miles nonstop to Los Angeles California-rolling their wheels on mainland America once more Since Piper had dealers all across the counshytry Truman and Evans made stops at Phoenix Arizona El Paso Texas Hobbs New Mexico Amarillo Texas El Reno and Oklahoma City Oklashyhoma Kansas City Missouri Dayton Ohio and Harrisburg Pennsylvania until finally they arrived full circle at Teterboro New Jersey on December 10 Truman landed first thus technishycally allowing The City of the Angels to claim the title of being the first lightplane to fly around the world They completed their 25162-mile flight in 122 days 23 hours and 4 minutes and demonstrated to the world the dependability and utility of private airplanes

David Liebegott restorer and Hall Mutter owner have flown legs of the original route of Truman and Evans world flight in Canada and the United States

Parting Ways The glory of Truman and Evans

global flight soon faded and the two men pursued diverging pathways Evshyans left his family and went to China to fly for Maj Gen Chennaults airshyline in support of Chinese nationalshyists he passed away in 1975 Truman became a military flight instructor and passed away on January 28 1986-the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded

The pair of PA-12s also parted ways but unlike mere mortals air-

The right side of the fuselage bears the names of all the cities where Truman and Evans landed on their world flight

Above Close-up view of the handshypainted detail

Right A colorful world-flight collection of hand-painted flags and insignias

adorns The City of the Angels

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 1

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

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bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

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When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

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IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

When the new model PA-12 began rolling off the production line at Piper Aircraft Corp in Lock Haven Pennsylvania in 1946 it was dubbed the Super Cruiser-yet little did anyone guess that the following year a pair

of these lightplanes would add new meaning to that name by making a super cruise all the way around the globe

George Truman and Clifford Evans were both Army Air Corps veterans working as flight instructors at Brinckshyerhoff Flying Service in College Park Maryland in 1946 The story goes that one day a new PA-12 taxied by them at the airport and someone said that aircraft could be

flown around the world A seed was planted in the fershytile imaginations of these pilots and 39-year-old Truman teamed with 27-year-old Evans to secretly hatch a plan to do just that

They were both married with two young daughters each and didnt have money to spare-but they didnt let their lack of personal funding hinder their dream They approached Piper Aircraft Corp and William T Piper Sf agreed to mortgage two used Super Cruisers to them with the promise that if their flight was successful hed write the mortgage off and give them the airplanes The PA-12s were then modified by installing two 50-gallon fuel tanks

AUGUST 2006 8

in place of the rear seat This gave them 138 gallons of fuel yielding about a 2400-mile range-and when the tanks were filled to the brim each aircraft was 430 pounds over its normal gross weight When Piper Sr turned the planes over to the pilots he couldnt help but question them as to why they wanted to make a fool trip like this After all the PA-12 just wasnt designed with such an epic flight in mind

Next they purchased two new 100-hp Lycoming 0shy23S-C engines for the whopping sum of one dollar each McCauley gave them the first metal propellers to be used on PA-12 models and Kollsman Sperry Gyroscope and

Cliff Evans (left) and George Truman (right) with the PA-12 Super Cruiser at Lock Haven Pennsylvania when they picked up their aircraft from Piper Aircraft Corp (and before the McCauley metal prop was installed) The City of the Angels had previously been used in the Piper Taxicub service

George Truman (left) and Cliff Evans (right) with The City of the Angels upon arrival at Anchorage Alaska-note their winter flying suits

Bendix Radio Corp supplied (or lent) the necessary flight instruments and radios The PA-12s were instrument flight rules (IFR) equipped with heated pitot-static tubes and drop-down Grimes landing lights Goodyear gave them two new sets of tires and each pilot was supplied with the Navys air-sea safety and rescue kit

Truman christened NX3671M The City of the Angels after his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and Evans named NX236SM The City of Washington after his hometown Their plan was made viable in part by new airports that had been built during World War II at strategic geographic locations such as Greenland and the Aleutian Islands By

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Restorer David Liebegott and owner Harry Mutter with The City of the Angels at Plant City Florida in April 2006

late summer 1947 they had prepared themselves to become the first pilots to circumnavigate the globe crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in aircraft with 100-hp engines

The Flight Truman and Evans departed Tetershy

boro New Jersey on August 91947 with little more than small change jinshygling in their pockets and an Esso Gas credit card Truman launched first and the two soon lost sight and radio contact with each other on their first leg and landed at Presque Isle Maine The next day they flew on to Goose Bay Labrador where they encounshytered a weather delay They landed at Bluie West One Greenland on August 12 where they were further delayed when they became ill with influenza On August 24 they arrived at Meeks Field in Reykjavik Iceland and on August 28 they landed at Newtonards Ireland The same day when they landed at Croydon Airshyport in London England they were formally recognized as piloting the smallest planes ever to cross the Atshylantic Ocean

From London they flew on to Brusshysels Belgium and then to Ypenburg Holland on September 1 which was a specially planned stop to visit a Dutch family to whom the Evans family had been sending food and clothing since the war On Septemshyber 3 they arrived in Paris France and later flew on to Rome Italy and

10 AUGUST 2006

Cairo Egypt On September 11 they flew 808 miles from Farouk Field in Cairo to Baghdad Iraq Then it was on to Dhahran Saudi Arabia where they were detained for six days by authorities They arrived in Karachi Pakistan on September 19 and when they arrived in Jodhpur India they were treated as guests at the maharashyjahs palace

They reached the halfway point in their flight around the world in seven weeks time when they flew from Calshycutta India over the Burmese jungles and arrived in Rangoon Next they flew over the rugged mountain borshyder from Burma into Bangkok Siam and then on to Hanoi Indochina On September 29 they arrived in Hong Kong where they were delayed by typhoons until October 5 Later Trushyman and Evans found it necessary to land in Amoy China-an unplanned stop-due to 80-mph head winds They arrived in Shanghai China on October 9 stayed for a visit and then flew to Fukuoka Japan Onward from there they arrived in Tokyo on Octoshyber 19 and soon after they made it to Nemuro Field on Hokkaido Island (still in Japan)

The next leg of their flight was especially demanding and difficult They started on this 1680-mile flight over the north Pacific on October 28 and arrived at Shemya Island in Alaska 13 hours and 35 minutes later despite IFR and icing conditions Two B-17 Flying Fortresses provided es-

When Bill Piper Sr

turned the planes

over to the pilots

he couldnt help

but question them

as to why they

wanted to make a

fool trip like this

cort for the Super Cruisers during the flight-one out of]apan and the other one out of the Aleutians On October 31 Truman and Evans departed for Adak Island escorted once again by a B-17 along with a Navy PBY Catashylina On November 2 they arrived at Fort Randall in Cold Bay Alaska and they reached Anchorage on Novemshyber 4 Snowstorms and strong winds delayed them until November II Days later the pair finally made it to Lethbridge Alberta Canada

The day before Thanksgiving they departed Lethbridge to fly about 1200 miles nonstop to Los Angeles California-rolling their wheels on mainland America once more Since Piper had dealers all across the counshytry Truman and Evans made stops at Phoenix Arizona El Paso Texas Hobbs New Mexico Amarillo Texas El Reno and Oklahoma City Oklashyhoma Kansas City Missouri Dayton Ohio and Harrisburg Pennsylvania until finally they arrived full circle at Teterboro New Jersey on December 10 Truman landed first thus technishycally allowing The City of the Angels to claim the title of being the first lightplane to fly around the world They completed their 25162-mile flight in 122 days 23 hours and 4 minutes and demonstrated to the world the dependability and utility of private airplanes

David Liebegott restorer and Hall Mutter owner have flown legs of the original route of Truman and Evans world flight in Canada and the United States

Parting Ways The glory of Truman and Evans

global flight soon faded and the two men pursued diverging pathways Evshyans left his family and went to China to fly for Maj Gen Chennaults airshyline in support of Chinese nationalshyists he passed away in 1975 Truman became a military flight instructor and passed away on January 28 1986-the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded

The pair of PA-12s also parted ways but unlike mere mortals air-

The right side of the fuselage bears the names of all the cities where Truman and Evans landed on their world flight

Above Close-up view of the handshypainted detail

Right A colorful world-flight collection of hand-painted flags and insignias

adorns The City of the Angels

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 1

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

in place of the rear seat This gave them 138 gallons of fuel yielding about a 2400-mile range-and when the tanks were filled to the brim each aircraft was 430 pounds over its normal gross weight When Piper Sr turned the planes over to the pilots he couldnt help but question them as to why they wanted to make a fool trip like this After all the PA-12 just wasnt designed with such an epic flight in mind

Next they purchased two new 100-hp Lycoming 0shy23S-C engines for the whopping sum of one dollar each McCauley gave them the first metal propellers to be used on PA-12 models and Kollsman Sperry Gyroscope and

Cliff Evans (left) and George Truman (right) with the PA-12 Super Cruiser at Lock Haven Pennsylvania when they picked up their aircraft from Piper Aircraft Corp (and before the McCauley metal prop was installed) The City of the Angels had previously been used in the Piper Taxicub service

George Truman (left) and Cliff Evans (right) with The City of the Angels upon arrival at Anchorage Alaska-note their winter flying suits

Bendix Radio Corp supplied (or lent) the necessary flight instruments and radios The PA-12s were instrument flight rules (IFR) equipped with heated pitot-static tubes and drop-down Grimes landing lights Goodyear gave them two new sets of tires and each pilot was supplied with the Navys air-sea safety and rescue kit

Truman christened NX3671M The City of the Angels after his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and Evans named NX236SM The City of Washington after his hometown Their plan was made viable in part by new airports that had been built during World War II at strategic geographic locations such as Greenland and the Aleutian Islands By

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Restorer David Liebegott and owner Harry Mutter with The City of the Angels at Plant City Florida in April 2006

late summer 1947 they had prepared themselves to become the first pilots to circumnavigate the globe crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in aircraft with 100-hp engines

The Flight Truman and Evans departed Tetershy

boro New Jersey on August 91947 with little more than small change jinshygling in their pockets and an Esso Gas credit card Truman launched first and the two soon lost sight and radio contact with each other on their first leg and landed at Presque Isle Maine The next day they flew on to Goose Bay Labrador where they encounshytered a weather delay They landed at Bluie West One Greenland on August 12 where they were further delayed when they became ill with influenza On August 24 they arrived at Meeks Field in Reykjavik Iceland and on August 28 they landed at Newtonards Ireland The same day when they landed at Croydon Airshyport in London England they were formally recognized as piloting the smallest planes ever to cross the Atshylantic Ocean

From London they flew on to Brusshysels Belgium and then to Ypenburg Holland on September 1 which was a specially planned stop to visit a Dutch family to whom the Evans family had been sending food and clothing since the war On Septemshyber 3 they arrived in Paris France and later flew on to Rome Italy and

10 AUGUST 2006

Cairo Egypt On September 11 they flew 808 miles from Farouk Field in Cairo to Baghdad Iraq Then it was on to Dhahran Saudi Arabia where they were detained for six days by authorities They arrived in Karachi Pakistan on September 19 and when they arrived in Jodhpur India they were treated as guests at the maharashyjahs palace

They reached the halfway point in their flight around the world in seven weeks time when they flew from Calshycutta India over the Burmese jungles and arrived in Rangoon Next they flew over the rugged mountain borshyder from Burma into Bangkok Siam and then on to Hanoi Indochina On September 29 they arrived in Hong Kong where they were delayed by typhoons until October 5 Later Trushyman and Evans found it necessary to land in Amoy China-an unplanned stop-due to 80-mph head winds They arrived in Shanghai China on October 9 stayed for a visit and then flew to Fukuoka Japan Onward from there they arrived in Tokyo on Octoshyber 19 and soon after they made it to Nemuro Field on Hokkaido Island (still in Japan)

The next leg of their flight was especially demanding and difficult They started on this 1680-mile flight over the north Pacific on October 28 and arrived at Shemya Island in Alaska 13 hours and 35 minutes later despite IFR and icing conditions Two B-17 Flying Fortresses provided es-

When Bill Piper Sr

turned the planes

over to the pilots

he couldnt help

but question them

as to why they

wanted to make a

fool trip like this

cort for the Super Cruisers during the flight-one out of]apan and the other one out of the Aleutians On October 31 Truman and Evans departed for Adak Island escorted once again by a B-17 along with a Navy PBY Catashylina On November 2 they arrived at Fort Randall in Cold Bay Alaska and they reached Anchorage on Novemshyber 4 Snowstorms and strong winds delayed them until November II Days later the pair finally made it to Lethbridge Alberta Canada

The day before Thanksgiving they departed Lethbridge to fly about 1200 miles nonstop to Los Angeles California-rolling their wheels on mainland America once more Since Piper had dealers all across the counshytry Truman and Evans made stops at Phoenix Arizona El Paso Texas Hobbs New Mexico Amarillo Texas El Reno and Oklahoma City Oklashyhoma Kansas City Missouri Dayton Ohio and Harrisburg Pennsylvania until finally they arrived full circle at Teterboro New Jersey on December 10 Truman landed first thus technishycally allowing The City of the Angels to claim the title of being the first lightplane to fly around the world They completed their 25162-mile flight in 122 days 23 hours and 4 minutes and demonstrated to the world the dependability and utility of private airplanes

David Liebegott restorer and Hall Mutter owner have flown legs of the original route of Truman and Evans world flight in Canada and the United States

Parting Ways The glory of Truman and Evans

global flight soon faded and the two men pursued diverging pathways Evshyans left his family and went to China to fly for Maj Gen Chennaults airshyline in support of Chinese nationalshyists he passed away in 1975 Truman became a military flight instructor and passed away on January 28 1986-the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded

The pair of PA-12s also parted ways but unlike mere mortals air-

The right side of the fuselage bears the names of all the cities where Truman and Evans landed on their world flight

Above Close-up view of the handshypainted detail

Right A colorful world-flight collection of hand-painted flags and insignias

adorns The City of the Angels

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 1

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

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IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Restorer David Liebegott and owner Harry Mutter with The City of the Angels at Plant City Florida in April 2006

late summer 1947 they had prepared themselves to become the first pilots to circumnavigate the globe crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in aircraft with 100-hp engines

The Flight Truman and Evans departed Tetershy

boro New Jersey on August 91947 with little more than small change jinshygling in their pockets and an Esso Gas credit card Truman launched first and the two soon lost sight and radio contact with each other on their first leg and landed at Presque Isle Maine The next day they flew on to Goose Bay Labrador where they encounshytered a weather delay They landed at Bluie West One Greenland on August 12 where they were further delayed when they became ill with influenza On August 24 they arrived at Meeks Field in Reykjavik Iceland and on August 28 they landed at Newtonards Ireland The same day when they landed at Croydon Airshyport in London England they were formally recognized as piloting the smallest planes ever to cross the Atshylantic Ocean

From London they flew on to Brusshysels Belgium and then to Ypenburg Holland on September 1 which was a specially planned stop to visit a Dutch family to whom the Evans family had been sending food and clothing since the war On Septemshyber 3 they arrived in Paris France and later flew on to Rome Italy and

10 AUGUST 2006

Cairo Egypt On September 11 they flew 808 miles from Farouk Field in Cairo to Baghdad Iraq Then it was on to Dhahran Saudi Arabia where they were detained for six days by authorities They arrived in Karachi Pakistan on September 19 and when they arrived in Jodhpur India they were treated as guests at the maharashyjahs palace

They reached the halfway point in their flight around the world in seven weeks time when they flew from Calshycutta India over the Burmese jungles and arrived in Rangoon Next they flew over the rugged mountain borshyder from Burma into Bangkok Siam and then on to Hanoi Indochina On September 29 they arrived in Hong Kong where they were delayed by typhoons until October 5 Later Trushyman and Evans found it necessary to land in Amoy China-an unplanned stop-due to 80-mph head winds They arrived in Shanghai China on October 9 stayed for a visit and then flew to Fukuoka Japan Onward from there they arrived in Tokyo on Octoshyber 19 and soon after they made it to Nemuro Field on Hokkaido Island (still in Japan)

The next leg of their flight was especially demanding and difficult They started on this 1680-mile flight over the north Pacific on October 28 and arrived at Shemya Island in Alaska 13 hours and 35 minutes later despite IFR and icing conditions Two B-17 Flying Fortresses provided es-

When Bill Piper Sr

turned the planes

over to the pilots

he couldnt help

but question them

as to why they

wanted to make a

fool trip like this

cort for the Super Cruisers during the flight-one out of]apan and the other one out of the Aleutians On October 31 Truman and Evans departed for Adak Island escorted once again by a B-17 along with a Navy PBY Catashylina On November 2 they arrived at Fort Randall in Cold Bay Alaska and they reached Anchorage on Novemshyber 4 Snowstorms and strong winds delayed them until November II Days later the pair finally made it to Lethbridge Alberta Canada

The day before Thanksgiving they departed Lethbridge to fly about 1200 miles nonstop to Los Angeles California-rolling their wheels on mainland America once more Since Piper had dealers all across the counshytry Truman and Evans made stops at Phoenix Arizona El Paso Texas Hobbs New Mexico Amarillo Texas El Reno and Oklahoma City Oklashyhoma Kansas City Missouri Dayton Ohio and Harrisburg Pennsylvania until finally they arrived full circle at Teterboro New Jersey on December 10 Truman landed first thus technishycally allowing The City of the Angels to claim the title of being the first lightplane to fly around the world They completed their 25162-mile flight in 122 days 23 hours and 4 minutes and demonstrated to the world the dependability and utility of private airplanes

David Liebegott restorer and Hall Mutter owner have flown legs of the original route of Truman and Evans world flight in Canada and the United States

Parting Ways The glory of Truman and Evans

global flight soon faded and the two men pursued diverging pathways Evshyans left his family and went to China to fly for Maj Gen Chennaults airshyline in support of Chinese nationalshyists he passed away in 1975 Truman became a military flight instructor and passed away on January 28 1986-the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded

The pair of PA-12s also parted ways but unlike mere mortals air-

The right side of the fuselage bears the names of all the cities where Truman and Evans landed on their world flight

Above Close-up view of the handshypainted detail

Right A colorful world-flight collection of hand-painted flags and insignias

adorns The City of the Angels

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 1

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

David Liebegott restorer and Hall Mutter owner have flown legs of the original route of Truman and Evans world flight in Canada and the United States

Parting Ways The glory of Truman and Evans

global flight soon faded and the two men pursued diverging pathways Evshyans left his family and went to China to fly for Maj Gen Chennaults airshyline in support of Chinese nationalshyists he passed away in 1975 Truman became a military flight instructor and passed away on January 28 1986-the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded

The pair of PA-12s also parted ways but unlike mere mortals air-

The right side of the fuselage bears the names of all the cities where Truman and Evans landed on their world flight

Above Close-up view of the handshypainted detail

Right A colorful world-flight collection of hand-painted flags and insignias

adorns The City of the Angels

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 1

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Trumans name is painted on the door

1952 Ray Allison and John Cornish bought it in 1958 and the PA-12 stayed in Virginia with them for years slowly fading into a closed chapter of aviation hisshytory Apparently this historical airplane lanshyguished for decades and eventually its regshyistration certificate was revoked in 1971 beshycause the FAA hadnt received the required aircraft registra tion form When Allison and Cornish restored the airplane to airshyworthy status in 1991 they discovered that the original registrashytion number N3671M had been reassigned so they requested and reshyceived a new number

N8671M which remains with The City of the Angels today

Restoration and Preservation Fifty years after the world flight

the disposition of The City of the Anshygels would fall to Harry P Mutter hisshytorian at the Piper Aviation Museum and a retiree of Boeing Aircraft Corp

planes sometimes have a way of livshying on Piper Aircraft bought back both Super Cruisers and donated The City of Washington to the Smithsonshyian Institution in 1949 William T Piper Jr kept Trumans plane The City of the Angels flying it to air shows for several years before selling it to the Washington-Virginia Airport entity in

12 AUGUST 2006

The City of the Angels is equipped for VFR flight today as opposed to its IFR world-flight configuration

Mutter a self-described Pennsylvania country boy started building and flyshying model planes when he was 10 and was hooked on aviation by the time he was a teen He and his classmates hiked 6 miles from their school to New Hanover Airport to see the airplanes Before he left the airport hed had his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub for the mighty sum of one dollar He learned to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squadshyron scholarship at Layfield Airport near his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylshyvania and soloed a Cub on May 22 1946 He earned his private certificate in August 24 1947-just about two weeks after Truman and Evans emshy

barked on their global flight adventure

The years rolled by and

the fall of 1996 found Mutter busy makshy

ing plans to commemorate Truman and Evans flight with a Cubs Around the World theme for the annual Senshytimental Journey fly-in at Lock Hashyven when he received a phone call from Ray Allison of Fredericksburg Virginia He wanted to know if the museum planned anything special for the 50th anniversary and then he

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Mutter donated this hisshytoric Super Cruiser to the Piper Aviation Museum during the Sentimental Journey fly-in this summer

surprised Mutter with the news that he owned The City of the Angels and wanted it to be preserved in a mushyseum similar to its sister ship The City of Washington

By January 1997 Mutter had purshychased The City of the Anshy

gels and was developing a strategy to restore the Super Cruiser to its post world-flight appearshyance (but not its entire original configurashytion) by appealing to various companies and individuals for support After all that was how Trushyman and Evans had acquired the airplanes and

equipment

in the first place The secret to gaining corporate sponsorshyships

explains Mutter is not to ask for money-you ask for components

Mutter also knew the project would require a talented individual to complete the labor-intensive resshytoration and he had just the man in mind He had met David Liebegott owner of Classic Magic Aviation in Duncansville Pennsylvania at a preshyvious Sentimental Journey fly-in and listened closely when Liebegott who had completed several restorations commented Some day Im going to make a name for myself by restorshying a famous airplane Mutter teleshyphoned him as soon as he bought the historical PA-12 and said Dave do you remember what you said Well I have the airplane for you

Liebegott was true to his word and ended up volunteering 1500 man-hours of his time and talents to restore that airplane to museum quality smiles Mutter and that s why he gets to fly it

The PA-12 was flying when Mutshyter purchased it but when Liebegott started inspecting it he found the headliner was shredded and a porshytion of the lower longerons were

rusted through below the baggage compartment At first we were just going to rejuvenate and repaint it recalls Liebegott but when we found some problems I said to Harry Wait a minute this is too important an airplane to aviation history to just do a whitewash on it Were either

going to do it right or Im not going to do it That was fine with him so we took it apart and made the necesshysary repairs and put a new nosebowl and boot cowl on it I covered it with Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph nitrate-butyrate dope system

The airframe restoration progressed pretty smoothly but they were in for another disappointment when the engine was inspected My lA Russ Vicars pulled the jugs off and found out they were pitted on the inside says Liebegott so I called Harry and said By the way we re going to spend $5200 of your money on new cylinders and a carburetor Harry called Lycoming but they were on strike at that time and he couldnt get through-so we went ahead and bought the parts we needed

Mutter shares an interesting side note about the original engine exshyplaining After the Super Cruisers completed their global flight Lycomshying changed out the 0-235 engines so they could examine the engine wear incurred during the flight since they had been burning anything from 73 to 130 octane fuel

And then it was time for the finshyishing touch-on the left side of the fuselage Liebegott hand-painted the flags of all the countries and the inshysignias of all the military bases where Truman and Evans had landed and on the right side Charlie Bickel hand-painted the names of all the

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

cities where the twosome landed as well as The City of the Angels on each side of the nose

If you closely examine the flags and insignia you might wonder just how Liebegott painted them in such accushyrate detail The answer starts with Mutshyters visit to the Smithsonian National Air amp Space Museum where the origishynal fabric panel from The City ofWashshyington was preserved They pulled the fabric out for me and I had a viewshygraph with a l2-inch grid scale that I photographed each flag with and that gave us the correct dimensions exshyplains Mutter Then the photos were sized on a computer and printed and Liebegott explains that he put carbon paper behind the photo and traced it right onto the fuselage before painting it with enamel

And Mutters visit to the museum yielded another significant dividend While I was there they also brought out the original logbook from the around-the-world airplane That logshybook was actually for my airplane and they didnt know that N3671M is written right on the front of it and

14 AUGUST 2006

its signed by Truman not Evans I asked if I could have a copy of it and she ended up sending me the original logbook The Smithsonian has been most generous with me I found some interesting things in it too-such as the receipt for overnight airplane parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta health certificate releasing Truman and his airplane to leave Calcutta

Full Circle Liebegott test flew The City of the

Angels on May 13 1998 and four days later he and Mutter took off for a promotional flight to Alaska reshytracing a portion of Truman and Evshyans flight along the Alaska Highway from Delta junction to Lethbridge Alberta Canada When they returned to Pennsylvania Liebegott confessed to Mutter that hed never flown a PAshy12 before

Dave and I are almost like father and son says Mutter with a chuckle elaborating about the time theyve shared Weve retraced all of the Cashynadian and United States stops and landed at the exact airports where

Truman and Evans landed We flew from Van Nuys California to Tetershyboro New jersey in 1999 and by now we have about 350 hours on the airplane Weve also been to Oshkosh and Sun n Fun with it Weve had our fun with it havent we Dave

And last year the two men shared yet another significant milestone when they attended the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Dayton where The City of the Angels won the prestishygious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005 Eastshyern Region Winner for Best Classic

But as we all come to know too well change is the one consistent thing in life and Mutter has decided the time has come to relinquish his ownership of this historic airplane And for The City of the Angels what better place to call home from now on than its own hometown and birthplace Durshying the annual Sentimental journey fly-in this summer Mutter held a speshycial dedication ceremony to formally announce his donation of the first lightplane to fly around the world to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven Pennsylvania

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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THE NAME MORE PILOTS KNOW AND TRUST SIMPLY THE BEST

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

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-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

If residents of Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey looked to the east in 1924 they might see 200 feet below a large expanse

of clear flat land that was Teterboro Airport Still in its relative infancy it was bursting with the vigor of eager young men who were bathing in the excitement the adventure and the glow of opportunity that energized the place This former marshland was already a waypoint and destination for many early pioneers of aviation and hosted such personalities as Clarence Chamberlin Charles Lindbergh Adm Richard Byrd Amelia Earhart Ed Gorski Anthony Fokker and the Wittman brothers along with scores

of others Fortuitously it was to become the home of several aviation-oriented industries Chamberlin had become famous for crossing the Atlantic two weeks after Lindbergh on a longer trip that ended in Berlin as well as for other record-breaking achievements Gorski was Amelia Earharts mechanic and accompanied her on many trips

Is there a little wonder that a child

16 AUGUST 2006

Harold G Scheck (EAA 9921 VAA 75)

BY ROBERT G KROLL

Scheck (left) chats with Harold Krier famed aerobatic pilot

born into this environment would be attracted to the barking sounds of engines and the sight of winged vehicles overhead If you lived in Hasbrouck Heights your family entertainment would be to picnic at the field enjoying the theater and excitement of the Gates Flying Circus with its daredevil aerobatic performers

and the breathtaking drama of wingshywalkers and parachute jumpers It was in this place that a young Harold Scheck immersed himself in the dream world of aviation It was only a few years later that there was no need to wait for the weekend any day the short walk down the hill could see him at this place of wonder

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

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When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

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REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Left Scheck expertise restoring Fairchild 22s is well-known Heres his restoration of a 22 powered with a Warner engine Its currently registered to Lee Pearson of Plymouth Massachusetts

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT HAD BEEN

ADVERTISED BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN TRADE-A-PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO

Like any airport kid Schecks presence was accepted by the pilots and mechanics which engendered an undying enthusiasm and curiosity about airplanes and engines that have persisted to this day So it was not surprising that when his teacher assigned the class to write what they would like to be when grown up 12shyyear-old Scheck wrote this poem as to why he would like to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot For I love the whistling breeze And the roar of the turning motor As we soar oer the trees I want to be a pilot And fly all about Without a map or highway To guide me on my route And he stuck to that dream even

though during the depreSSion he was forced to drop out of high school after his sophomore year In 1937 Scheck received his first ride in a 37shyhp Aeronca K at Teterboro Airport

World War Il ended the adolescent dreams of many a young man and woman When Scheck returned from service in the South Pacific he realized the need for a good machine shop With his meager savings of $2000 and a driving ambition he established the HG S Co which earned a

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold (second right) in front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold The other men in the photo are not identified

reputation for diligently serving the needs of fixed base operators and the burgeoning antique aircraft restoration movement

His purchase of two propellers tha thad been advertised by Clarence Chamberlin in Trade-A-Plane sparked a friendship with his longtime hero Chamberlin was particularly impressed

with Schecks restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on his Menascoshyof a Fairchild 22 powered Fairchild 22

By 1951 Scheck had earned his private pilot certificate with Ed Gorski who had taken over Lincoln Park Airport in New Jersey He went on to add a seaplane and multiengine land and sea rating at North American Aviation on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry New Jersey It was there that Scheck became interested in restoring antique open-cockpit aircraft This led to his adapting the Menasco engine to a Fairchild 22 for which he was awarded the supplemental type certificate (See the cover of the November 2003 Vintage Airplane and the article about the Fairchild 22 by Barry Schiff in the February 2001 AOPA Pilot)

Scheck was hired by Eastern Air Lines but resigned because the machine shop business required his full-time attention although he continued to restore antique aircraft

and gained an airframe and engine rating He has owned or restored more than 35 antique aircraft one of which a Fairchild 24 was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum

Along with Chuck Hohler a pilot of Eastern Air Lines Scheck was the founder of the Paramus Flying Club in 1950 at Teterboro Airport That organization has remained in continuous existence and is now based at Essex County Airport in Caldwell New Jersey Scheck has been recognized for his many achievements and support of aviation organizations such as EAA and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey located at Teterboro airport In 1992 he moved to Pinehurst North Carolina where he shares his interest and experience with EAA Chapter 1220 at GilliamshyMcConnell Airfield in Carthage North Carolina

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

The air-to-air photos were taken beshyfore Dean Richardson tracked down a pair of original Cessna wheelshypants The Jetstream wheelpants look great but theyre not from the Cessna factory

No matter where you stand on Mr Darwins theory when it comes to biology theres no doubt that evolution of a speshy

cies is evident in many product lines throughout aviation history From Cessnas prolific production lines in Wichita Kansas sprang the postshyWorld War II all-metal tailwheel airshyplanes that included the Cessna 140 and its evolved progeny the Cessna 170 The 170 started life as a relatively low-powered four-place airplane with docile handling equipped with fabric-

covered metal-structured wings As it evolved the 170 developed a

more angular profile with squaredshyoff all-metal wings By 1953 the deshysign saw a major jump as the core of the 170 design was morphed into the Cessna 180 a 225-hp workhorse While the 170B continued in producshytion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it in 1956 the 180 and its cousin the 185 were part of the Cessna product line into the 1980s

The 180 design saw the basic 170 structure revised with a set of squaredshyoff tail surfaces and a triangular dorsal fin along with a trimmable stabilizer and reshaped windows The biggest change was engineering the new enshygine installation which saw the 180s new cowling wrapping around a 225shyhp Continental 0-470-A driving a McshyCauley constant-speed propeller

The bigger stronger faster 180 soon became a favorite of businessshymen and ranchers who found the utility airplane really lived up to its category It seemed capable of just about anything those customers could want In fact it still seems so today-the 180 is a highly soughtshyafter airplane Ranchers still want it as do bush pilots from Alaska to South America and anywhere else a gutsy utility airplane is needed On

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106

Of Aviation Since wwwdessercom

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VINTAGE LANES

Classic Finish for Classic AirplanesSince 1949

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

skis on floats or on wheels the 180 seems to have a lot of check marks in the can do it column

Dean Richardson of Madison Wisshyconsin is a longtime VAA volunteer and the chairman of VAA Classic judging He s no stranger to Cessna aircraft Along with a few other airshyplanes hes owned and restored award-winning copies of the 170 and a 1952 Air Force LC-126-C (the milishytary version of the Cessna 195) both of which were award winners at EAA Oshkosh The stone original 1952 170B took home the Best of Type award in the AntiqueClassic area during the 1984 fly-in It also proshyvided a great learning experience for what really had to be done to place in the awards at the national event Afshyter selling the 170 he purchased the LC-126-C and restored it to its milishytary configuration-as it would have looked while serving as a unit hack with the Air Force lOth Air Rescue Group The airplane was presented with an AntiqueClassic Horsepower Award in 1987

That was fun and since he enjoys working on airplanes so much after

20 AUGUST 2006

that experience he didnt stop moving on to a Cessna T-41 restored to its original military configuration

This time he set out to do it right all the way down to the original milishytary radios and locking inertia reel shoulder harshynesses It won the Best Liaison Airplane in the Warbirds area in 1989 and a Silver Wrench Award (the Gold Wrench that year went to an Avro Lancaster from Canada)

A couple of years later it Dean Richardson proud caretaker and detailer of won a preservation award Cessna 2451F from the Warbirds judges

Still it wasnt what he was looking for when he set out to buy a differshyent airplane in 2004 He started lookshying at Howards enamored with the big high-powered monoplane that seemed to be ready to leap over tall cumuli at a single bound But one that was just right never seemed to cross his path when he was ready to buy so Dean kept his options open Prior to the 180 hed owned a Piper

Super Cub and immediately prior to that a Polish Wilga so a pretty wide range of airplanes appealed to him

Now he wanted something with four seats in a comfortable setting a fairly high cruise speed reasonshyable range and some visual pizzazz Then along came the 180 with its 150-mph-plus cruise speed four seats in a comfortable cabin an all-metal structure that was well-known for its

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Above The instrushyment panel of the 180 now features a Gannin avionics stack but is othshyerwise original

Patience and persistence payoff for Dean Richardshyson as he was able to track down a pair of pristine original Cessna wheelpants after 51F had won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy at EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2005 After liberating them from their original Cessna packaging Dean polished the pair and installed them with little modification needed

durability and classic good looks While shopping for a good clean

180 Dean took his time He did his homework on the airplane refreshshying his memory regarding its history and boning up on any trouble spots he should look out for He looked for deshyfects such as wrinkles around the landshying gear (indicating a hard landing or a lot of operation on rough terrain) or little dents and dings on the prop and leading edges of the tail surfaces which would also indicate a hard life

Left This extra bit of 516-inch wide plastic chrome trim availshyable at automoshytive stores helps detail the edges of the wheelpants

While he certainly wasnt afraid of some work to get the right airplane into shape there didnt seem to be much point in doing more than he needed to do

Finally after searching and readshying and plenty of e-mails and phone calls to various owners Dean found himself talking to a pleasant felshylow from Texas a rancher who used his 180 for duties around a pair of ranches he owned one in southshyeastern Colorado the other in Pilot

The doorframes and sill plates were are carefully reshot with the proper paint color The seat cushions are original leather seating that was orshydered when the airplane was new with a bronze and tawny mist color scheme It was part of the deluxe interior opshytion package

POint Texas Bill Ambrosich has been a pilot for most of his ranching life and the 180 was certainly a great tool for working a pair of ranches in Coloshyrado and Texas But he felt he needed to go back to a different airplane so he was willing to part with his 180

Bill and Dean came to an agreeshyment on the airplane over the phone contingent of course on Deans inshyspection Dean invited me to accomshypany him on the trip to serve as a second set of pilot eyes and hands as he brought the 180 home to Wisshyconsin After a nice visit with the Ambrosichs Dean and I saddled up at the Denton Texas airport and cinched our belts up tight for it was very windy and thanks to a very strong southwesterly flow in advance of a cold front over the great plains it was likely to be bumpy and windy all the way home

And how We were rocking and

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR SERIES

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Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from the rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviation aircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above average tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

First impressions last a lifetime so put these jewels on and bring back the good times New General Aviation Sizes Available

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

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it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

rolling nearly all of the trip since a moderately packed cloud deck kept us under the cumuli for most of the flight We routinely saw groundspeeds of well over 175 knots which neither one of us were used to having flown airplanes with true airspeeds around 100 mph or so We zoomed home to Madison with one fuel stop in Lebashy

non Missouri The leading edge of the cold front was well into central Wisconsin by the time we reached the Quad Cities near Moline Illinois and by checking the weather ahead of our projected course we were able to work our way north to the state line at which point the Madison airport reported conditions that varied beshy

tween marginal VFR and IFR A call to the Madison tower slipped us into the airspace as the airport was reportshying marginal VFR conditions and we landed with a total elapsed time of 47 hours (including a fuel stop of about 35-40 minutes) averaging 170 knots over the ground If wed tried to make the same trip in an airliner from Denshy

ton to Madison wed have taken a lot longer

Once home Dean started to make his list of areas where the already nice-looking and well-kept Cessna could look even better Like most of us each time he and his wife Wendie went back to look at the airplane the list grew There were just a few non-original parts such as the Jetstream wheelpants which were great-looking

Left Resting on the grass of the Lodi airport near Lodi Wisconsin you can see the amazingly straight ding-free cowling and noseshybowl of SlF

22 AUGUST 2006

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR SERIES

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with a fresh set of Vintage Rubber These newly minted tires are FAA-TSOd and speed rated to 120 MPH Some things are better left the way they

---shy 7k -----shy

were and in the 40s and 50s these tires were perfectly in tune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from the rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviation aircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above average tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

First impressions last a lifetime so put these jewels on and bring back the good times New General Aviation Sizes Available

500 x 5 600 x 6 700 x 8

Desser has the largest stock and selection of Vintage and Warbird tires in the world Contact us with

~ TelePhone 800-247-8473 or

DESSERffi 323-721-4900 FAX 323-721-7888

6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106

Of Aviation Since wwwdessercom

BUTYRATE ESYSTEM

(JIt -----f-shy

VINTAGE LANES

Classic Finish for Classic AirplanesSince 1949

Many Origil1il Manufacturers colors are available Give your Vintage Aircraft an award-winning original finish with unlimited color choices

Covering materials price for standard vintage aircraft approximately $3500 )urchase the enUre kit and receive a10discount

SUpernIte-3701 H1gtnray162 GranJte CIty Ii 112040 PII 800-323 11 Ph 618-931-5080

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

(and are the ones you see in the airshyto-air photos on these pages) but they did not come with the airplane from the factory

The instrument panel and the preserved interior were among the features that tilted this airplane in Deans favor It had all the original instruments including the direcshytional and attitude gyros along with the original radios One more factor working for Dean was the airplanes paperwork Each of the previous owners had kept all of the paperwork for the airplane including the Cessna purchase agreement equipment list from when the airplane was first deshylivered to a pipeline company Most likely it was used as its executiveemshyployee transport to operations in the field The airplane shows very little utility work wear even though its spent a good portion of its lifetime working for pipeline and machine shop companies On it were listed the pOinted spinner the deluxe interior

with greenbrown leather seats and the exter ior courtesy lights in the wings It seemed to have just about every option you could buy with the exception of a heated pitot tube

The more Dean looked the better he felt about the project and he realshyized that if he really hit it hard he could have a show-quality Cessna by the time the summer fly-in season arshyrived The exterior paint was good if a bit worn and faded but a strong polish job brightened it up considershyably He spent time working on the interior having a new headliner inshystalled by Eric Paradise (then of Wisshyconsin Aviation now in Reedsburg Wisconsin) that closely matched the original and installing a set of muchshyneeded shoulder harnesses

He also worked diligently to repair the plastic side panels using a plastic welding kit he picked up at his local hardware store After the plastic heatshywelding repair was done to prevent cracking again Dean backed up the

repair with a thin leather patch atshytached with contact cement to the back side of the repaired panel He has found that this works very well over a long period of time

Once they were repainted along with the small metal trim around the windows and doorsills the repairs became invisible The leather seats needed a cleanup but were in othershywise excellent condition The origishynal tinted windshield didnt need too much work but quite a bit of time was spent detailing the engine and Wisshyconsin Aviation helped out with a new a radio package with a Garmin suite of navigationcommunication radios

A few of the instruments were overhauled and re-installed helping boost the personal score Dean had given the airplane He figured when he bought it the interior was about a 6 out of 10 and the exterior a 7 or 8 With the exception of an adshyditional logo on the tail and the afshytermarket wheelpants nothing else

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

on the airplane would result in major deduction points The radio installashytion would not result in a deduction nor would the newer brakes (a safety item) or the strobe lights (another safety addition)

A bit of skin work did need to be done on the flight control surfaces While not terrible it was pretty obvishyous that at one point the airplane had gotten caught outdoors during a hailshystorm Dean had the ailerons tops of the elevators and horizontal tail reshyskinned by a shop in Louisiana

Having done all that he left the airshyplane home when he came to Oshkosh for AirVenture unsure whether he should bring it for judging After all hed been involved in Classic airplane judging for many years and even though he wasnt involved in Conshytemporary judging he didnt want to put anyone in a difficult position

Once he started showing other VAAers photos of his new project evshyeryone encouraged him both Conshytemporary judges and others to go to Madison and get the airplane so it could be judged and put on display

Now that some folks had talked him into getting the airplane he brought it up on Wednesday of the convention and the following day the Contemporary judges swarmed over it A number of remarkable things came to light as they looked it over First most commented later about the condition of the nosebowl and cowling

The 180 has a smooth compound curve cowl that shows dings and dents quite readily but Deans cowlshying didn t show any of that usual

24 AUGUST 2006

runway and maintenance rash Hed paid particular attention to the little areas that always seem to show wear such as the door side panels the doorframe and door sill plates and the door seals which needed to be replaced All were neatly touched up and the rest of the airplane showed great attention to detail and was original in its configuration Three days later at the awards ceremony in EAAs Theater in the Woods Dean was stunned to hear that hed won the Grand Champion Contemporary Lindy for EAA AirVenture 200S

After being recognized handsshydown as the most original Cessna 180 at EAA AirVenture 200S youd have thought it might be time to relax But I know Dean pretty well and knew that would never happen

I never leave well enough alone since I love working on airplanes so I kept wanting to get everything origishynal he said

The next item on his list Original Cessna wheel pants Dean placed a few ads in some of

the trade papers including Vintage Airplane advertising for a set of good original pants just like those deshylivered on the earlier 180s At least a dozen callers responded but one caller in particular really made his ears perk up When Dean told him that he was looking to have them inshystalled and polished not painted he asked the owner of the wheelpants how they looked

I dont know he responded Theyre still in the boxes they came in from Cessna years ago

That sounded good to Dean

A deal was struck and a few days later the delivery man dropped off the boxes marked Cessna Aircraft and Dean very carefully opened them gently pulling the staples As he folded back the box tops it was like Christmas and the discovery of King Tuts tomb all rolled into one There peeking out from the packing foam and blue plastic wrapping was a pair of never-installed Cessna facshytory wheel pants along with the bits and pieces for installation

For days he carefully removed the plastic wrap which over the years had deteriorated and was stuck more firmly to the aluminum than was intended A bit of solvent tb loosen the light adheshysive on the plastic film did the trick and he was the proud papa of a pair of perfect pantaloons for his Cessna

There was one minor difference in the pants as manufactured and their installation on the 1966 180H-the Cleveland double-puck brake caliper on the later model was in front of the landing gear and these pants were set up for the smaller Goodyear brakes on the back By swapping sides and axles (and keeping the shims in place for the proper toe-in) the pants were a near perfect fit with hardly any trimming needed for fitting

One more detail after polishing was added to the pants Dean has never cared for the rather unfinished look of the very edge on the bottom of the Cessna wheelpants but he spotted something at an automotive store that he knew would solve the problem It was a chrome-plated plasshytic trim section (see photo) that has a small amount of adhesive included in it You simply push the U-shaped section onto the edge youre dressshying up and the adhesive will keep it in place When done with restraint it looks just as if the factory made it that way

I just smiled when I saw it because it was so Dean Richardson

On his airplanes or Chris-Craft wooden boat he always seems to know just what needs to be done to make something just so No wonshyder he loves working on airplanes so much

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Bob Gibbs amp Dan Ramsey Belpre OH

bull GIBBS - Ratings Commercial Instrument Flight Instructor

bull RAMSEY - Ratings Commercia Single Engine Multi-engine Instrument

bull Owners 1943 Stinson Reliant V-77 AT-19 1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA is my insurance company because they are dependable

When I cali a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter

-Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY OF DAN RAMSEY

August 16 1928 -June 192006

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 8oomiddot843middot36J2

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

REARWIN SKYRANGER Duane Wething of Detroit Lakes ley Minnesota Jim has owned the and repainting including a Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years and Poly-Fiber cover job were done by of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger Duane it was in storage for 20 years after the restorer who also added new just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm A glass and a neatly duplicated origishyfall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw- complete strip-down inspection nal-style interior

1948 LUSCOMBE 88 Doug Kingsley of Parker

Colorado owned this beaushytiful Luscombe when it was restored and John Greiner of Longmont Colorado now owns it It was restored by Doug Orm and Bob Peterson who re-covered the wings painted the aircraft and inshystalled a new interior The Lycoming 0-145 engine was replaced with a Continental A-75 engine for better pershyformance at Colorados high altitudes Evan McCombs of Evans Aircraft now maintains the airplane he was Dougs EAA flight advisor for his tailshywheel transition training

26 AUGUST 2006

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

1963 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER 23 The contemporary owners

are really going to town with some of their aircraft and owner Keith Greene of Alma Arkansas has really got someshything fine to fly and show off His 63 Musketeer N8748M serial number M-536 was a training airplane until Keiths purchase in 2004 Keith credshyits Bill Gray of Grays Aviation with help dismantling and rebuilding the airframe Bill Grays son Don who owns a paint shop across the airport from Bills Aviation was responsible for executing the sharp reproduction of the Beechcraft color scheme Keith also credshyits the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the inshyterior work Hed also like to thank all the other friends and associates who helped him with his Beech

send your photos to Vintage Aircraft Association What Our Members Are Restoring PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

CESSNA 195

Pat Wilson of Albuquerque New Mexico sent along these pictures of his 1953 Cessna 195 powshyered by a 275-hp Jacobs engine The FAA registrashytion database tells us it is serial number 16078 That bronze-colored instrument panel and other cockpit details certainly look classy

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

BY DOUG STEWART

Gee nice-looking airplane youve got there Doug What year is it I was asked the other day as I stood atop a ladder filling up the tanks of my Super Cruiser at the selfshyserve fuel pump at the Columbia County Airport Its a 47 I replied as I wriggled my nose to adjust my bifocal glasses so that I could see the meter on the pump Its four years younger than I am I continued as I carefully climbed down making sure to not miss any rungs on the ladder

This got me to thinking You know it wasnt that many years ago that climbing up the ladder was your concern what with your slight fear of heights (a condition that Ive found I share with many another pilot) Now youre more concerned with coming down the ladder and the possibility that you might trip and fall if youre less than careful You know Stewart maybe your age is starting to show Youre overcoming your phobias and you are also acting with less reckless abandon than youve been known to show in the past Maybe thats a good thing and getting old rather than being a negative is having a positive influence on your life

Perhaps this was true I have found that although Im still not sure what I want to be when I grow up noneshytheless those hazardous attitudes that used to be so hard to subdue have come more under control (although I still have to be ever vigilant) as I age My flying has definitely taken on a more conservative tone as my age reshy

28 AUGUST 2006

Gettin old minds me of my mortality The old adage about old pilots and bold pilots takes on more significance with each passing day All these things and more are some of the positive aspects that come with aging

Say again becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilotcontroller

vocabulary as

our hearing

diminishes

But pilots unlike fine wines do not necessarily improve with age Alshythough the spirit might still be willshying the flesh is indeed getting a little weaker Since many of us who belong to the Vintage Airplane Association are as old as if not older than the airshyplanes we love and fly it would probshyably behoove us all to take a look at some of those things that can and at

times do impact our flying in a negashytive sense as we age

Probably the first thing we notice starting to go hang on here Ill remember what it was in just a secshyond oh yeah now I remember is our vision It isnt long after we see the notation on our medical certifishycate statingcorrective lenses must be carried in the cockpit that we find we actually have to start wearshying them rather than just stuffing them in the door pocket Even beshyfore I found that the seat wouldnt go far enough back in a Mooney Ranger for me to be able to read the gauges without glasses I was cognizant that I would have to start reluctantly wearshying those half-lens reading glasses to see the instruments

Now Im wearing bifocal glasses that help me out not only with readshying the gauges but also for distance vision as well Rather than having to squint out through the windshield to try and make out the taxiway signs as I taxi right on alpha left on Sierra to Runway 24 my glasses now allow me ample warning about those upcoming turns

The need for corrective lenses for both near and far vision as we age is usually quite obvious but there are several other effects upon our vision that come with age and are perhaps a bit less obvious Amongst these are a diminishment of visual clarity and especially night vision a greater senshysitivity to light peripheral vision can become blurred depth perception dishy

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

minishes it takes longer for the eyes to adjust from near to far objects and vice versa the muscles of the eyes beshycome less responsive over time and take longer to adjust to changes in the environment as well as changes when moving focal points between near and far and the eyes take longer to adjust to dark because the weakshyened muscles of the eyes cause the eyes to dilate less quickly

Vision is certainly not the only thing to be affected by the aging process Say again becomes a frequent phrase in out pilotcontrolshyler vocabulary as our hearing diminshyishes In most people a weakening of the muscles is normal as they age Enshydurance is diminished Oxygen is not used as efficiently and the muscles lose their elasticity Awareness of imshypending risk is delayed Eye and body muscles react more slowly resulting in a delayed response time

Space and distance are misjudged more frequently and our reaction time slows Responding to factors may require more time and space because correct actions require pershyception evaluation and motor response (muscle) time In fact reshyacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a pilot who has moved into middle age (40-54) and up to four times longer after age 5S or so

lt is obvious how all these isshysues will affect our flight safety and one might think a pilot would have enough sense to be much more careshyful and adjust his personal minishymums to compensate for the effects of aging But one of the insidious things about all of these aging-reshylated problems is that they dont occur overnight Rather they occur gradually over time and the deteshyrioration might very well not be noshyticed or if noticed rationalized away through the process of denial

For pilots operating with a recshyreational or higher certificate the once-every-24-months medical exam might catch some of the deshyterioration but for the pilot with a sport pilot certificate the drivers lishycense medical might not reveal any of these potential problems Thus

Your One STOP Quality Shop

1-888-388-8803 1-780-447-5955

Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters

All Makes amp Models wwwacomweldingcom

it would seem that it sure would be wise for all of us older pilots to have annual medical checkups and espeshycially annual eye checkups includshying checks for cataracts glaucoma macular degeneration diabetic retishynopathy and other eye conditions associated with aging

Some other recommendations inshyclude using cockpit resource manageshyment (CRM) especially passengers to aid you in the job of seeing and avoiding keeping your windshield clean adjusting your seat to maxishymize visibility outside the cockpit using cushions if the seat is not adshyjustable avoiding tinted lenses at night wearing sunglasses when it is bright out and avoiding glasses with wide frames or heavy temples being sure the frames do not inhibit side vision or create difficulty in seeing the entire field of vision

Avoid being in a hurry and dont let air traffic control rush you (this applies to all pilots regardless of age but especially to the older pilot) Keep an active exercise regimen to enhance flexibility strength and enshydurance fitness is important at any age Ask a significant other if he or she notices changes that might afshyfect safety in an airplane Identifying deterioration or weaknesses in other areas of normal living that require perceptual motor skill whether in the workshop in the yard or in the kitchen should be used as clues that flying and airplane safety could also be affected

Lastly and perhaps most imporshytantly get frequent recurrent trainshy

ing Go beyond a flight review once every 24 calendar months go beyond an annual Wings program Do as the airlines and air-taxi pilots do get recurrent training every six months

It is sometimes difficult for me to accept some of the shortcomings the aging process has inflicted upon me but I am cognizant of them and have factored them into my personal minishymums not only when I am flying but also in all the other wonderful activities that I undertake However I also know that the aging process is not all a negative I certainly have much more patience compassion and-I think I can say-wisdom than I did not too many years ago

Aging is not all bad I certainly know this when I visit EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh every year For me the most beautiful and awe-inspiring airshyplanes that fly to this aviation mecca are all parked south of the Red Barn To all the wonderful Vintage pilots whether you are young or old may you be blessed with blue skies and tail winds and may the aging proshycess whenever it occurs be a posishytive one

I would like to thank David Bennett one ofour VAA directors for the inspirashytion for this article as well as providing much of the information used

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year a NAFI Master Instrucshytor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlight com) based at the Co lumbia County Airport (lBl)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

A serviceable cord r---------------------arly on in the history of avi shy

Eshould have aation it became clear that a

landing gear with some give smooth outer cover-or shock absorption capabili- ing with no bumps ties was desirable The early or disruptions to the

woven cover ThisBleriot and other pioneer aircraft used one looks good butthin tires set on wire-spoked wheels and

age and repeatedwhile they were great for clearing the landing cycles havehumps and bumps of the local pasture

they didnt soak up the bumps too well taken their toll

so a second level of shock absorption was added-rubber shock cording

For decades woven fabric-covered shock cord (often called bungee cord) was the most common of all shock absorbers In fact it was so ubiquitous used on so many different civil shyian and military aircraft that it was even the subject of a mili-

No its not some new exotic pasta dish or an undiscovshyered sea creature The outer rubber strands show signs of environmental aging as ozone and airborne conshytaminants (including engine exhaust chemicals) attack the rubber You can see how the inner strands are less affected Again this shock cord didnt appear to be exshycessively worn when viewed from the outside the damage was only obvious once the covering was cut away

3 0 AUGUST 2006

a

~ SUPERllIJ R~m AIR PARTS INC

Order On-Line 24n365 wwwaircraft-specialtiescom Aircraft Specialties Services is your complete one stop aircraft

parts and pilot supplies supercenter Youll know were serious by the brands we keep Superior Air Parts Continental Lycoming ECI Air Support Goodyear Rapco Gill Brackett Champion Lord 3M just to name a few

You can phone-in fly-in drive-in or order online 24 hours a day seven days aweek 365 days a year Aircraft Specialties Services is located at 2680 North Sheridan Road in Tulsa Oklahoma just across the street from the general aviation runway at Tulsa International We have sales people who average over 20 years experience They can

help you find what you need when you need it Because of our central location in Tulsa orders shipped with the major carriers arrive in a very timely manner almost anywhere in the United States

Aircraft Specialties Services goal is to keep general aviation alive and well So in addition to our machining division our parts and supplies division is designed for timely service and convenience You can save big with our reconditioned parts then make sure you have everything you need to get back in the air fast all in one convenient stop web visit or phone call On all in-stock merchandise on orders received by 300 pm CDr

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AIRCRAFT SPECIALTIES SERVICES 2860 N Sheridan Road Tulsa OK 74115 Phone 918-836-6872 Fax 918-836-4419

a

~ SUPERllIJ R~m AIR PARTS INC

Order On-Line 24n365 wwwaircraft-specialtiescom Aircraft Specialties Services is your complete one stop aircraft

parts and pilot supplies supercenter Youll know were serious by the brands we keep Superior Air Parts Continental Lycoming ECI Air Support Goodyear Rapco Gill Brackett Champion Lord 3M just to name a few

You can phone-in fly-in drive-in or order online 24 hours a day seven days aweek 365 days a year Aircraft Specialties Services is located at 2680 North Sheridan Road in Tulsa Oklahoma just across the street from the general aviation runway at Tulsa International We have sales people who average over 20 years experience They can

help you find what you need when you need it Because of our central location in Tulsa orders shipped with the major carriers arrive in a very timely manner almost anywhere in the United States

Aircraft Specialties Services goal is to keep general aviation alive and well So in addition to our machining division our parts and supplies division is designed for timely service and convenience You can save big with our reconditioned parts then make sure you have everything you need to get back in the air fast all in one convenient stop web visit or phone call On all in-stock merchandise on orders received by 300 pm CDr

1middot800middot826middot9252 Now The Exclusive Distributor For

AIRCRAFT SPECIALTIES SERVICES 2860 N Sheridan Road Tulsa OK 74115 Phone 918-836-6872 Fax 918-836-4419

This same cord showed some signs of abrasion damage to the woven covering where the shock cord was in constant contact with the landing gear structure

This cord shows obvious signs of damage to the outer covershying and to the rubber strands inside The bumps and breaks in the covering indicate many broken strands of rubber inshyside the shock cord This cord must be replaced

MIL C-5651D Shock Cord Dating System

The color code repeats on a five-year cycle

First color stripe 1997-Red 1998-B1ue

1999-Yellow 2000-B1ack 2001-Green 2OO2--Red 2003-8lue

2004-Yellow 200S-Black 2006-Green 2007--Red

The second stripe indicates the quarter of manufacture

January-March--Red April-June-Blue

JulyshySeptember-Green October-December-Yellow Some manufacturers add a

third color stripe not required bv MIL-C-5651D

Most normal humans would not be able to pull on a 34-inch shock cord and be able to stretch it but this cord had deteriorated to such

possible for me to do so

Some aircraft use muHiple shock cords This is the upper end of the landing gear of a Fokker Super Unishyversal Asimilar herringbone arrangeshyment was used on the Ryan NYP Spirit of St louis

tary speCification MIL-C-S6S1D Its still commonly used in the military and for civilian use Double-covered shock cord is Type I shock rings with a doubleshybraided cover are Type II

These cords are made with a core of rubber threads and a layer of woven cotshyton cording to protect the easily damshyaged rubber Shock cord used in aviation applications has a pair of woven outer layers The actual diameter of the rubshyber strip bundle is not the only factor that controls how much force is needed to stretch a cord Made of heavy cotton thread the woven cover serves another not-so-obvious function-it controls the level of force required to stretch the cord (the cords modulus) The tighter the cover is woven over the rubber strip the greater the force required to elonshygate the cord Manufacturers can also vary the ratio of rubber strip and the cover yarn to control the modulus of the cord Thats why its important to keep the cover intact it not only proshytects the rubber strip from premature aging but also is required to maintain the shock cords strength

The rubber itself is high-grade rubber strip either natural latex rubber or synshythetic rubber similar to that used when golf balls were made with a wound rubshyber strip core only wider (There are no longer any manufacturers of wound rubshyber core golf balls in the United States) While it exhibits great elasticity and dushyrability the rubber is susceptible to enshyvironmenta l damage When exposed to air ozone and other pollutants will quickly deteriorate it So will exposure to engine oil and other chemicals such as

32 AUGUS T 2006

exhaust residue Keeping the outer cover clean goes a long way toward keeping the rubber from deteriorating Thats why on a Cub or other similar landing gear systems leather or vinyl boots are used to cover the shock cords

If youve owned an airplane that is equipped with shock cords as part of the landing gear you know how imporshytant it is to check the cords to avoid a letdown feeling when one of the cords lets go with a sharp report But what do you look for How do you know its time for a replacement Do you use the calendar the appearance of the cord or the cords date of manufacture

The answer is all three While a cord may look perfectly fine if its been sitshyting unprotected on the shelf in a hot hangar for years odds are the rubber strip inside has deteriorated to such an extent that a few cycles of stretchshying will create a lumpy useless mess Youve probably seen what can happen to a set of shock cords when an airplane has been left sitting out in the open for years It doesnt seem to take very long for the landing gear to begin to splay outwards and before you know it the gear is near collapse

Do your best to obtain fresh shock cords when it comes time to change out a cord Each outer layer of the woven cord made to the exacting standards reshyquired for the mil spec will contain a pair (or sometimes a trio) of colored treads which indicate the date of manufacture The mil spec defines the meaning of the colored yarn See the chart included in this article for details The military reshyquires a shock cord or ring be packaged and delivered no later than six months after manufacture if stored properly the cord can last for many years

During an annual or other perishyodic inspection check the shock cord first by standing back and looking at the airplane from the nose Does it sit high up on its landing gear Or have you noticed that the wing seems to be a bit lower than it used to be (sometimes evidenced by clanking your forehead when you go to enter the cockpit) Is the inner portion of each of the tires wearing excessively

When you rock the wings with your hands while on the ground does the

landing gear seem excessively soft Even when the cords have been well

protected the interior of the shock cords will deteriorate over time and will need replacement Evidence of that wear is most often seen in the form of surface irregularities in the covering

Bumps tears or other disruptions in the smooth woven cover tell you someshythings amiss under that cotton wrap Is there discoloration on the cover indishycating possible exposure to chemicals or oil or is it dirt and grime from a lifetime of living on the belly of an airplane

Take a look at the photos in this arshyticle These shock cords had been in sershyvice for 14 years on an Aeronca Sedan A pair of rings is used on each side for a total of four shock cord rings Id noshyticed that the gear seemed rather soft when the wings were rocked up and down and the gear seemed splayed out more than normal Also knowing that the age of the cords was at least 14 years I made plans to change the cords during the annual inspection While one cord looked pretty good the other manushyfactured four years earlier (evidenced by different color-code cords in the woven covering) had obvious defects

Once the decision has been made to replace the cords caution must be exshyercised to prevent injury These shock cords can recoil with tremendous force once stretched

For the Piper Cub and its brethren a few enterprising companies have made special tools for stretching and installshying the cords In other cases a special tool is not needed but do avoid the use of sharp or pointed tools to lever or pry the shock rings in place Disrupting the covering not only exposes the rubber to the environment but also can cause a change in the cords modulus in a small area weakening the cord and leading to premature failure

Once the cords have been replaced go out and enjoy that new landing gear feeling But be careful-youll be amazed at how stiff the landing gear has become and you may need to adjust your landing technique But even if you sproing a few of those first landings youll have the peace of mind knowing your bungee cords are up to soaking up anything you can throw at them ~

continued from page 1

Home Washington which is near Seshyattle Now Im not going to reveal a lot of detail here in this column beshycause there is a really neat story to be told here and I am hopeful that beshytween Sam and HG our editor you will have the opportunity to read all about this great adventure Sam was on when he arrived at SMD in Fort Wayne Indiana

But what I will reveal here is that Sam had just purchased his second 1929 Bird in the Long Island New York area nearly six weeks earlier You will likely learn about his first Bird in the future article So here was 60-year Young Sam Dodge (this is how he signs his e-mails) six weeks into this adventure of getting his Bird home to Home Washington from Long Island New York with all of 25 hours of tailwheel time in his logbook forging his way across the United States

Now I have to tell you this is one interesting gentleman Sam is a forshymer Hollywood producer who left the industry and became a stay-atshyhome dad for his two sons some 20 years ago Sam ended up spending the whole July Fourth holiday with us at SMD and we had a great time together We assisted him with some minor maintenance items on the Bird and then sent my new friend on his way to finish his great adventure As I write this column Sam is in Billshyings Montana and he continues to chronicle this great adventure We hope to share it with you soon

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007shyThe Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebrashytion-is coming July 23-292007 VAA is about participation Be a member Be a volunteer Be there Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Remember we are better toshygether Join us and have it all

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

EE BUCK HILBERT

One more turn on turnbuckles Dear Buck

Your recent article on turnbuckles struck another nerve and I just have to relate my turnbuckle experience to you nothing like yours-thank God

When I first went to work in the maintenance shop at AIRGO in June 1944-a couple of years back-I had presented myself to the maintenance chief Mr Ralph Bleke as having no experience but a strong desire to learn Evidently he liked that because he hired me

The first job I was assigned to was helping to re-cover the wings of a Stinson SR-9F which took several weeks When that was completed we busied ourselves with other less deshymanding jobs for a few days before tackling another big one

Walter Trask was chief pilot for the MacMillan Feed Co at Decatur Indishyana and they operated a Stinson SRshy8 This plane had a 260-hp Lycoming and it was well maintained

The plane was scheduled for a trip to Florida the following day and Walt wanted a 25-hour inspection done on the engine before starting out Mr Bleke assigned the job to our engine shop mechanic Jack Stroud with Bill Arthur to assist him Jack and Bill were good friends and Bill was to be married on the following Saturday so they had to leave early that day for the wedding rehearsal Jack was part of the wedding party

They managed to complete the inspection but were running out of time Mr Bleke told them to hang the cowling on and he would have me finish installing it I had never

34 AUGUST 2006

done this before With all the confidence of a 17shy

year-old who thought he was in heaven I approached the task with great gusto after all it couldnt be too tough or I wouldnt have been given the task

After several turns I checked the

alignment again all did not seem to be as I thought it

should be You may be familiar with this type

of installation The split line was on the bottom of the cowling There were two brackets with turnbuckshyles that pulled the cowling together One end was permanently attached so that it could swing down when the turnbuckle was loosened There were aligning pins to keep the cowling aligned fore and aft At the bottom of the engine were two horn-shaped inshytake tubes which I assumed were for the carburetor and at the bottom of the cowling were two funnel-shaped tubes which I assumed should fit into the tubes on the engine there were screens on the cowling tubes

I swung the turnbuckle clamps into position checked to see that the aligning pins were in the proper pOSition and began to tighten the turnbuckles to draw the cowling toshygether After several turns I checked the alignment again all did not seem

to be as I thought it should be The aligning pins were gradually beginshyning to work into their assigned holes but the horn-shaped tubes at the front of the cowling were not linshying up the way I thought they would or should I reasoned that if I continshyued tightening the turnbuckles the cowling would eventually snap into alignment I guess my biggest mistake was assuming too much Henceforth I continued tightening checking evshyery few turns to see if things were going as I assumed they would The last time I checked it appeared that I might be right since there was some indication that things were beginshyning to move

Thinking to myself that just a few more turns should do the trick I proshyceeded to tighten Suddenly there was a horrible sound It was a ripping tearshying crunching noise I shall never forshyget What was that I began to search for the source with considerable trepishydation then my eyes fell upon the fixed bracket that held it to the cowlshying It was attached to a large hole I had tightened the turnbuckle so much that it pulled the bracket right out of the cowling first my thoughts were 0- M- G- What have I done My next thoughts were where might I find future employment

There was only one thing to do so I went in search of Mr Bleke When I found him my first words were Ralph I really screwed up badI When he looked at my handy work he was obviously distressed but he kept pretty cool saying 111 have to get Ed Shenk to come out and help

Aug 12-1 3 Arlington WA bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Introduction to Aircraft Building

Aug 19-20 Indianapolis IN bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems ampAvionics bull Cas bull Com Construction

Sept 8-10 GriffinGA

me fix this tonight the plane is leavshying for Florida early in the morning

Right after that I went home for the day wondering what the atmoshysphere would be tomorrow Nothshying more was said and I continued with AIRGO for a couple more weeks They hired a new mechanic (experishyenced) and one day Mr Bleke asked me to take the next week off hed call when he needed me I knew I was getting the bums rush As I was leaving and feeling mighty low I passed by the Pierce shop where AIRGOs new mechanic had formerly worked It dawned on me that they were now short a man I walked over to the boss and said You guys need any new help Do you know how to lay tapes he asked Sure do I replied Id never laid a tape in my life When can you start he asked Right now I said just as soon as I clean out my locker at AIRGO Reshyturning to the AIRGO shop I found Ralph still there Walking over to him I said Ralph I quit Astonshyished he said You what And I reshypeated I quit-I cant afford to be laid off and I just got hired by Pierce Thanks for everything Ill be seeing you around

That day I had my first experience at laying tapes

Over to you Edward E Ed Beatty VAA 6448

Sounds like you had a tough day Ed but Ill bet you learned quickly how to ask questions irst and then get to work

Hey all of you members out there were going to start a column of QampA stuff just as we intended this column to be nearly two decades ago So how about it-drop us a note and let an expert anshyswer it HG will send the questions out to different folks each month and well get you an answer you can use But it only works if you ask questions so have at it Send them to HG at either vinshytageaircrafteaaorg or EAA Vintage Questions PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Its over to all ofyou -BuJ

ane

ane

bull TIC Welding

- bull bullpoundBAircraft Coattng

_polyfibercom wwwalrcraftsprucecom

(Atlanta Area)

Sept 9-1 Corona CA bull RV Assembly

Sept 9-10 Denver CO bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Composite Construction bull Introduction to Aircraft Buildi

bull Repairman (lSA) Inspection- Airplane _-Oct 13-15 Griffin GA

(Atlanta Area)

EM sporlAir KLEIN Sponsors TOOLS

wwwklelntoolscom

~EAA AI PJOllrJltJ1I 1-800-WORKSHOP WORKSHOPS 1-800-967-~746 ___ ~ wwwsportalrcom

EAAlt

YOU CAN BUILD IT LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

exhaust residue Keeping the outer cover clean goes a long way toward keeping the rubber from deteriorating Thats why on a Cub or other similar landing gear systems leather or vinyl boots are used to cover the shock cords

If youve owned an airplane that is equipped with shock cords as part of the landing gear you know how imporshytant it is to check the cords to avoid a letdown feeling when one of the cords lets go with a sharp report But what do you look for How do you know its time for a replacement Do you use the calendar the appearance of the cord or the cords date of manufacture

The answer is all three While a cord may look perfectly fine if its been sitshyting unprotected on the shelf in a hot hangar for years odds are the rubber strip inside has deteriorated to such an extent that a few cycles of stretchshying will create a lumpy useless mess Youve probably seen what can happen to a set of shock cords when an airplane has been left sitting out in the open for years It doesnt seem to take very long for the landing gear to begin to splay outwards and before you know it the gear is near collapse

Do your best to obtain fresh shock cords when it comes time to change out a cord Each outer layer of the woven cord made to the exacting standards reshyquired for the mil spec will contain a pair (or sometimes a trio) of colored treads which indicate the date of manufacture The mil spec defines the meaning of the colored yarn See the chart included in this article for details The military reshyquires a shock cord or ring be packaged and delivered no later than six months after manufacture if stored properly the cord can last for many years

During an annual or other perishyodic inspection check the shock cord first by standing back and looking at the airplane from the nose Does it sit high up on its landing gear Or have you noticed that the wing seems to be a bit lower than it used to be (sometimes evidenced by clanking your forehead when you go to enter the cockpit) Is the inner portion of each of the tires wearing excessively

When you rock the wings with your hands while on the ground does the

landing gear seem excessively soft Even when the cords have been well

protected the interior of the shock cords will deteriorate over time and will need replacement Evidence of that wear is most often seen in the form of surface irregularities in the covering

Bumps tears or other disruptions in the smooth woven cover tell you someshythings amiss under that cotton wrap Is there discoloration on the cover indishycating possible exposure to chemicals or oil or is it dirt and grime from a lifetime of living on the belly of an airplane

Take a look at the photos in this arshyticle These shock cords had been in sershyvice for 14 years on an Aeronca Sedan A pair of rings is used on each side for a total of four shock cord rings Id noshyticed that the gear seemed rather soft when the wings were rocked up and down and the gear seemed splayed out more than normal Also knowing that the age of the cords was at least 14 years I made plans to change the cords during the annual inspection While one cord looked pretty good the other manushyfactured four years earlier (evidenced by different color-code cords in the woven covering) had obvious defects

Once the decision has been made to replace the cords caution must be exshyercised to prevent injury These shock cords can recoil with tremendous force once stretched

For the Piper Cub and its brethren a few enterprising companies have made special tools for stretching and installshying the cords In other cases a special tool is not needed but do avoid the use of sharp or pointed tools to lever or pry the shock rings in place Disrupting the covering not only exposes the rubber to the environment but also can cause a change in the cords modulus in a small area weakening the cord and leading to premature failure

Once the cords have been replaced go out and enjoy that new landing gear feeling But be careful-youll be amazed at how stiff the landing gear has become and you may need to adjust your landing technique But even if you sproing a few of those first landings youll have the peace of mind knowing your bungee cords are up to soaking up anything you can throw at them ~

continued from page 1

Home Washington which is near Seshyattle Now Im not going to reveal a lot of detail here in this column beshycause there is a really neat story to be told here and I am hopeful that beshytween Sam and HG our editor you will have the opportunity to read all about this great adventure Sam was on when he arrived at SMD in Fort Wayne Indiana

But what I will reveal here is that Sam had just purchased his second 1929 Bird in the Long Island New York area nearly six weeks earlier You will likely learn about his first Bird in the future article So here was 60-year Young Sam Dodge (this is how he signs his e-mails) six weeks into this adventure of getting his Bird home to Home Washington from Long Island New York with all of 25 hours of tailwheel time in his logbook forging his way across the United States

Now I have to tell you this is one interesting gentleman Sam is a forshymer Hollywood producer who left the industry and became a stay-atshyhome dad for his two sons some 20 years ago Sam ended up spending the whole July Fourth holiday with us at SMD and we had a great time together We assisted him with some minor maintenance items on the Bird and then sent my new friend on his way to finish his great adventure As I write this column Sam is in Billshyings Montana and he continues to chronicle this great adventure We hope to share it with you soon

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007shyThe Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebrashytion-is coming July 23-292007 VAA is about participation Be a member Be a volunteer Be there Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Remember we are better toshygether Join us and have it all

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

EE BUCK HILBERT

One more turn on turnbuckles Dear Buck

Your recent article on turnbuckles struck another nerve and I just have to relate my turnbuckle experience to you nothing like yours-thank God

When I first went to work in the maintenance shop at AIRGO in June 1944-a couple of years back-I had presented myself to the maintenance chief Mr Ralph Bleke as having no experience but a strong desire to learn Evidently he liked that because he hired me

The first job I was assigned to was helping to re-cover the wings of a Stinson SR-9F which took several weeks When that was completed we busied ourselves with other less deshymanding jobs for a few days before tackling another big one

Walter Trask was chief pilot for the MacMillan Feed Co at Decatur Indishyana and they operated a Stinson SRshy8 This plane had a 260-hp Lycoming and it was well maintained

The plane was scheduled for a trip to Florida the following day and Walt wanted a 25-hour inspection done on the engine before starting out Mr Bleke assigned the job to our engine shop mechanic Jack Stroud with Bill Arthur to assist him Jack and Bill were good friends and Bill was to be married on the following Saturday so they had to leave early that day for the wedding rehearsal Jack was part of the wedding party

They managed to complete the inspection but were running out of time Mr Bleke told them to hang the cowling on and he would have me finish installing it I had never

34 AUGUST 2006

done this before With all the confidence of a 17shy

year-old who thought he was in heaven I approached the task with great gusto after all it couldnt be too tough or I wouldnt have been given the task

After several turns I checked the

alignment again all did not seem to be as I thought it

should be You may be familiar with this type

of installation The split line was on the bottom of the cowling There were two brackets with turnbuckshyles that pulled the cowling together One end was permanently attached so that it could swing down when the turnbuckle was loosened There were aligning pins to keep the cowling aligned fore and aft At the bottom of the engine were two horn-shaped inshytake tubes which I assumed were for the carburetor and at the bottom of the cowling were two funnel-shaped tubes which I assumed should fit into the tubes on the engine there were screens on the cowling tubes

I swung the turnbuckle clamps into position checked to see that the aligning pins were in the proper pOSition and began to tighten the turnbuckles to draw the cowling toshygether After several turns I checked the alignment again all did not seem

to be as I thought it should be The aligning pins were gradually beginshyning to work into their assigned holes but the horn-shaped tubes at the front of the cowling were not linshying up the way I thought they would or should I reasoned that if I continshyued tightening the turnbuckles the cowling would eventually snap into alignment I guess my biggest mistake was assuming too much Henceforth I continued tightening checking evshyery few turns to see if things were going as I assumed they would The last time I checked it appeared that I might be right since there was some indication that things were beginshyning to move

Thinking to myself that just a few more turns should do the trick I proshyceeded to tighten Suddenly there was a horrible sound It was a ripping tearshying crunching noise I shall never forshyget What was that I began to search for the source with considerable trepishydation then my eyes fell upon the fixed bracket that held it to the cowlshying It was attached to a large hole I had tightened the turnbuckle so much that it pulled the bracket right out of the cowling first my thoughts were 0- M- G- What have I done My next thoughts were where might I find future employment

There was only one thing to do so I went in search of Mr Bleke When I found him my first words were Ralph I really screwed up badI When he looked at my handy work he was obviously distressed but he kept pretty cool saying 111 have to get Ed Shenk to come out and help

Aug 12-1 3 Arlington WA bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Introduction to Aircraft Building

Aug 19-20 Indianapolis IN bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems ampAvionics bull Cas bull Com Construction

Sept 8-10 GriffinGA

me fix this tonight the plane is leavshying for Florida early in the morning

Right after that I went home for the day wondering what the atmoshysphere would be tomorrow Nothshying more was said and I continued with AIRGO for a couple more weeks They hired a new mechanic (experishyenced) and one day Mr Bleke asked me to take the next week off hed call when he needed me I knew I was getting the bums rush As I was leaving and feeling mighty low I passed by the Pierce shop where AIRGOs new mechanic had formerly worked It dawned on me that they were now short a man I walked over to the boss and said You guys need any new help Do you know how to lay tapes he asked Sure do I replied Id never laid a tape in my life When can you start he asked Right now I said just as soon as I clean out my locker at AIRGO Reshyturning to the AIRGO shop I found Ralph still there Walking over to him I said Ralph I quit Astonshyished he said You what And I reshypeated I quit-I cant afford to be laid off and I just got hired by Pierce Thanks for everything Ill be seeing you around

That day I had my first experience at laying tapes

Over to you Edward E Ed Beatty VAA 6448

Sounds like you had a tough day Ed but Ill bet you learned quickly how to ask questions irst and then get to work

Hey all of you members out there were going to start a column of QampA stuff just as we intended this column to be nearly two decades ago So how about it-drop us a note and let an expert anshyswer it HG will send the questions out to different folks each month and well get you an answer you can use But it only works if you ask questions so have at it Send them to HG at either vinshytageaircrafteaaorg or EAA Vintage Questions PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Its over to all ofyou -BuJ

ane

ane

bull TIC Welding

- bull bullpoundBAircraft Coattng

_polyfibercom wwwalrcraftsprucecom

(Atlanta Area)

Sept 9-1 Corona CA bull RV Assembly

Sept 9-10 Denver CO bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Composite Construction bull Introduction to Aircraft Buildi

bull Repairman (lSA) Inspection- Airplane _-Oct 13-15 Griffin GA

(Atlanta Area)

EM sporlAir KLEIN Sponsors TOOLS

wwwklelntoolscom

~EAA AI PJOllrJltJ1I 1-800-WORKSHOP WORKSHOPS 1-800-967-~746 ___ ~ wwwsportalrcom

EAAlt

YOU CAN BUILD IT LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

EE BUCK HILBERT

One more turn on turnbuckles Dear Buck

Your recent article on turnbuckles struck another nerve and I just have to relate my turnbuckle experience to you nothing like yours-thank God

When I first went to work in the maintenance shop at AIRGO in June 1944-a couple of years back-I had presented myself to the maintenance chief Mr Ralph Bleke as having no experience but a strong desire to learn Evidently he liked that because he hired me

The first job I was assigned to was helping to re-cover the wings of a Stinson SR-9F which took several weeks When that was completed we busied ourselves with other less deshymanding jobs for a few days before tackling another big one

Walter Trask was chief pilot for the MacMillan Feed Co at Decatur Indishyana and they operated a Stinson SRshy8 This plane had a 260-hp Lycoming and it was well maintained

The plane was scheduled for a trip to Florida the following day and Walt wanted a 25-hour inspection done on the engine before starting out Mr Bleke assigned the job to our engine shop mechanic Jack Stroud with Bill Arthur to assist him Jack and Bill were good friends and Bill was to be married on the following Saturday so they had to leave early that day for the wedding rehearsal Jack was part of the wedding party

They managed to complete the inspection but were running out of time Mr Bleke told them to hang the cowling on and he would have me finish installing it I had never

34 AUGUST 2006

done this before With all the confidence of a 17shy

year-old who thought he was in heaven I approached the task with great gusto after all it couldnt be too tough or I wouldnt have been given the task

After several turns I checked the

alignment again all did not seem to be as I thought it

should be You may be familiar with this type

of installation The split line was on the bottom of the cowling There were two brackets with turnbuckshyles that pulled the cowling together One end was permanently attached so that it could swing down when the turnbuckle was loosened There were aligning pins to keep the cowling aligned fore and aft At the bottom of the engine were two horn-shaped inshytake tubes which I assumed were for the carburetor and at the bottom of the cowling were two funnel-shaped tubes which I assumed should fit into the tubes on the engine there were screens on the cowling tubes

I swung the turnbuckle clamps into position checked to see that the aligning pins were in the proper pOSition and began to tighten the turnbuckles to draw the cowling toshygether After several turns I checked the alignment again all did not seem

to be as I thought it should be The aligning pins were gradually beginshyning to work into their assigned holes but the horn-shaped tubes at the front of the cowling were not linshying up the way I thought they would or should I reasoned that if I continshyued tightening the turnbuckles the cowling would eventually snap into alignment I guess my biggest mistake was assuming too much Henceforth I continued tightening checking evshyery few turns to see if things were going as I assumed they would The last time I checked it appeared that I might be right since there was some indication that things were beginshyning to move

Thinking to myself that just a few more turns should do the trick I proshyceeded to tighten Suddenly there was a horrible sound It was a ripping tearshying crunching noise I shall never forshyget What was that I began to search for the source with considerable trepishydation then my eyes fell upon the fixed bracket that held it to the cowlshying It was attached to a large hole I had tightened the turnbuckle so much that it pulled the bracket right out of the cowling first my thoughts were 0- M- G- What have I done My next thoughts were where might I find future employment

There was only one thing to do so I went in search of Mr Bleke When I found him my first words were Ralph I really screwed up badI When he looked at my handy work he was obviously distressed but he kept pretty cool saying 111 have to get Ed Shenk to come out and help

Aug 12-1 3 Arlington WA bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Introduction to Aircraft Building

Aug 19-20 Indianapolis IN bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems ampAvionics bull Cas bull Com Construction

Sept 8-10 GriffinGA

me fix this tonight the plane is leavshying for Florida early in the morning

Right after that I went home for the day wondering what the atmoshysphere would be tomorrow Nothshying more was said and I continued with AIRGO for a couple more weeks They hired a new mechanic (experishyenced) and one day Mr Bleke asked me to take the next week off hed call when he needed me I knew I was getting the bums rush As I was leaving and feeling mighty low I passed by the Pierce shop where AIRGOs new mechanic had formerly worked It dawned on me that they were now short a man I walked over to the boss and said You guys need any new help Do you know how to lay tapes he asked Sure do I replied Id never laid a tape in my life When can you start he asked Right now I said just as soon as I clean out my locker at AIRGO Reshyturning to the AIRGO shop I found Ralph still there Walking over to him I said Ralph I quit Astonshyished he said You what And I reshypeated I quit-I cant afford to be laid off and I just got hired by Pierce Thanks for everything Ill be seeing you around

That day I had my first experience at laying tapes

Over to you Edward E Ed Beatty VAA 6448

Sounds like you had a tough day Ed but Ill bet you learned quickly how to ask questions irst and then get to work

Hey all of you members out there were going to start a column of QampA stuff just as we intended this column to be nearly two decades ago So how about it-drop us a note and let an expert anshyswer it HG will send the questions out to different folks each month and well get you an answer you can use But it only works if you ask questions so have at it Send them to HG at either vinshytageaircrafteaaorg or EAA Vintage Questions PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Its over to all ofyou -BuJ

ane

ane

bull TIC Welding

- bull bullpoundBAircraft Coattng

_polyfibercom wwwalrcraftsprucecom

(Atlanta Area)

Sept 9-1 Corona CA bull RV Assembly

Sept 9-10 Denver CO bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Composite Construction bull Introduction to Aircraft Buildi

bull Repairman (lSA) Inspection- Airplane _-Oct 13-15 Griffin GA

(Atlanta Area)

EM sporlAir KLEIN Sponsors TOOLS

wwwklelntoolscom

~EAA AI PJOllrJltJ1I 1-800-WORKSHOP WORKSHOPS 1-800-967-~746 ___ ~ wwwsportalrcom

EAAlt

YOU CAN BUILD IT LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

Aug 12-1 3 Arlington WA bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Introduction to Aircraft Building

Aug 19-20 Indianapolis IN bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems ampAvionics bull Cas bull Com Construction

Sept 8-10 GriffinGA

me fix this tonight the plane is leavshying for Florida early in the morning

Right after that I went home for the day wondering what the atmoshysphere would be tomorrow Nothshying more was said and I continued with AIRGO for a couple more weeks They hired a new mechanic (experishyenced) and one day Mr Bleke asked me to take the next week off hed call when he needed me I knew I was getting the bums rush As I was leaving and feeling mighty low I passed by the Pierce shop where AIRGOs new mechanic had formerly worked It dawned on me that they were now short a man I walked over to the boss and said You guys need any new help Do you know how to lay tapes he asked Sure do I replied Id never laid a tape in my life When can you start he asked Right now I said just as soon as I clean out my locker at AIRGO Reshyturning to the AIRGO shop I found Ralph still there Walking over to him I said Ralph I quit Astonshyished he said You what And I reshypeated I quit-I cant afford to be laid off and I just got hired by Pierce Thanks for everything Ill be seeing you around

That day I had my first experience at laying tapes

Over to you Edward E Ed Beatty VAA 6448

Sounds like you had a tough day Ed but Ill bet you learned quickly how to ask questions irst and then get to work

Hey all of you members out there were going to start a column of QampA stuff just as we intended this column to be nearly two decades ago So how about it-drop us a note and let an expert anshyswer it HG will send the questions out to different folks each month and well get you an answer you can use But it only works if you ask questions so have at it Send them to HG at either vinshytageaircrafteaaorg or EAA Vintage Questions PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Its over to all ofyou -BuJ

ane

ane

bull TIC Welding

- bull bullpoundBAircraft Coattng

_polyfibercom wwwalrcraftsprucecom

(Atlanta Area)

Sept 9-1 Corona CA bull RV Assembly

Sept 9-10 Denver CO bull Fabric Covering bull Sheet Metal Basics bull Electrical Systems amp Avionics bull Composite Construction bull Introduction to Aircraft Buildi

bull Repairman (lSA) Inspection- Airplane _-Oct 13-15 Griffin GA

(Atlanta Area)

EM sporlAir KLEIN Sponsors TOOLS

wwwklelntoolscom

~EAA AI PJOllrJltJ1I 1-800-WORKSHOP WORKSHOPS 1-800-967-~746 ___ ~ wwwsportalrcom

EAAlt

YOU CAN BUILD IT LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

BY HG FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM HAL SWANSONS COLLECTION

Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WL 54903 -3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than September 10 for inclusion in the November 2006 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line

MAYS MYSTERY ANSWER

The May Mystery Plane from Ted Businger is part of his John Sunyak collection Heres our first letter

The May 2006 Mystery Plane is the Simplex R-2-D Red Arrow Dual Plane also known as the Simplex Racer as shown in your photo The aircraft was built as cn 37-R was registered as NR43M and was flown with race number 71 in its class at the 1929 National Air Races in Cleveland by HS (Dick) Myhres the factory pilot The Simplex Aircraft Co was located in Defiance Ohio The race number showed me by reference to pages 542shy545 of the EAA 1991 edition of Schmid and Weavers The could be mounted on the lower fuselage structure to inshyGolden Age ofAir Racing Pre-1940 that it is the Simplex crease payload by flying as a biplane Juptner has a photo This was by process of elimination of the other 71 racshy of the monoplane that was taken from directly behind ing aircraft the aircraft Aerofiles reports that the engine as raced

The information quoted below is given by Aerofiles and as a biplane was a Wright J-6-7 (R-540) of 225 hp alshycom and on page 30 of Joe Juptners T-Hangar Tales Stoshy though a WrightJ-6-5 (R-760) of 165 hp could be installed ries of the Golden Age The Dual Plane name is very on the monoplane version Aerofiles reports that the upshymeaningful because it was built as the high-wing monoshy per wingspan was 32 feet 9 inches and the lower span 24 plane shown in your photo but had a lower wing that feet The payload was 700 pounds with a range of 600

36 AUGUST 2006

Simplex R-2-D Red Arrow Dual PlaneSimplex Racer These two photossent by Ed Beatty and James Harvey show the Simplex in two racing configurations-as a biplane without wheelpants and as a monoplane with pants

miles as a monoplane and 1325 pounds with a range of 700 miles as a biplane

Jack Erickson State College Pennsylvania

Both Ed Beatty and james Harvey sent in photocopies of their duplicate john Sunyak photos which well try to print The quality of the photos is not great but well give it a go Ed also had this postscript

After looking a little closer it became apparent that my pictures were taken a little later than the one in the magashyzine NR numbers have been added to the rudder Why

Travel Mug Copper and black create a stri ki ng mug for on the go flyers A real class act for enjoying your favorite refreshment

Coffee Mug V03496 $999

of four or even six VAA logo in gold tone

they would remove the wheelpants after installing the lower wings is also a bit of a mystery perhaps for weight and balance judging from the rolled-down stocking on the young lady this picture was probably taken in the mid-1930s (1929 at the NationaL Air Races in CLeveland acshycording to Teds notes on the back of the photo-Ed)

Other correct answers were received from Henry Komp Merriville Indiana Charles F Schultz Louisville Kenshytucky Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Russ Brown Lindhurst Ohio james Harvey Highland Illinois (loved the Mono Aircraft stationary james) and Wayne Van Valkenburgh jasper Georgia

WIVI bullbullIY Cbullbullbullbull

These are thefirsttools you need to buy when you recover your

airplane Anyone who has used them will tell you theyre the next best thing to having one of our staff right beside you The VHS tape and the DVD will give you the Big Picture and the manual will walk you step by step through every part of the process Youre never on your own when youre using PolyFiber

wwwpolyfibercom e-mail infopolyfibercom

Aircraft Coatings 800-362-3490

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not

constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direction of any event (fly-in seminars fly market

etc) listed To submit an event send the information via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh

WI 54903-3086 Or e-mail the information to vintageaircrafteaaorg Information should be received four

months prior to the event date

AUGUST 12-Auburn CA-Auburn Municipal

Airport (AUN) Thunder In The Sky Info www thunderintheskyorg

AUGUST 18-20-McMinnville OR-McMinnville

Airport McMinnville Antique Flymiddotln Info www nwaaccom

AUGUST 18-20--Alliance OH-AlliancemiddotBarber

Airport (2Dl) 8th Annual Ohio Aeronca

Aviators Flymiddotln Info Brian Matz 216-337-5643

bwmatzllacyahoocom wwwoaafJy-incom

AUGUST 20--Brookfield WI-Capitol Drive Airport

EAAjVAA Chapter 11 Ice Cream Social amp

Lunch Vintage Aircraft Display Noon-5pm

BBQ Chicken Lunch Noon-2pm

AUGUST 2S-2S-Long Island NY-Bayport

Aerodome (23N) 2nd Annual Antique

Aeroplane Club Fly-In All vintage antique

classic airplanes and pilots welcome

For Welcome to Bayport DVD and Info

Sbainemdiaofnycom wwwAACGNYorg

AUGUST 2S-Niles MI-Jerry Tyler Memorial

Airport (3TR) VAA Chapter 35 Fly-In Drive-In

Corn amp Sausage Roast llam-3pm Rain

Date August 27th Info Len Jansen 269-684shy

6566

SEPTEMBER 2-Zanesville OH-Riverside Airport

EAA Chapter 425 Pancake Breakfast Flyshy

In Drive-In Breakfast 8am-2pm with lunch

items available after 11am Info Chuck

Bruckelmeyer 740-454-7487

SEPTEMBER 2-Prosser WA-EAA Chapter 391s

23rd Annual Labor Day Weekend Prosser Flyshy

In Info RL Shaub 509-735-7664 SEPTEMBER 2-Marion IN-Marion Municipal

Airport (MZZ) 16th Annual Fly-In Cruise-

In Features antique classic homebuilt

ultralight amp warbird aircraft as well as

vintage cars trucks motorcycles amp tractors

AII-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast is served

Proceeds benefiting the local High School

Band Info Ray Johnson 765-664-2588

wwwFlylnCruiselncom SEPTEMBER 7-10--Greenville ME-Greenville

Maine 33rd Annual International Fly-

In Contests poker runs cruise on

Moosehead Lake cookout buffet

demonstrations and more Info Darralyn

Gauvin PO Box 1289 Greenville ME

04441 or email darralynghslakers org

SEPTEMBER 9-Blue Bell PA-Wings Field

38 AU GUST 2006

(LOM) 17th Annual Vintage Aircraft

amp Classic Car Show 10am-3pm Free

Admission $10 Automobile Parking Food

Music Entertainment amp Exhibits All net

proceeds will go to benefit Angel Flight

East Rain Date September 10th Info

Bonni 800-383-9464 xl06

SEPTEMBER 9-Newark OH-Newark-Heath

Airport (VTA) Annual EAA Chapter 402

Fly-In Breakfast Breakfast pancakes

eggs sausage juice coffee Vintage

and homebuilt aircraft Young Eagles

Flights Buckeye Chapter of RVAtors f ly

over Fly-ins and drive-ins we lcome Info

Tom McFadden 740-587-2312 or

tmcalinkcom

SEPTEMBER 9-Maxton NC-Laurinburg-Maxton

Airport (M EB) Region 10 Ercoupe Owners

Club North-South Carolina Members amp

Guests 3rd Annual Spectacular September

Invitational Hosted by John Miller amp William

McNeill 10am-l045am Touch-Down 11amshy

Noon RC Demonstrations Noon-115pm

Lunch amp Awards 130pm-3pm Fly-Out to

Local Grass Strip 3pm-330pm Departure

Info Buck 336-342-5629336-549-1936

bandmanltriadrrcom

SEPTEMBER 22-23-Bartlesville OK-Frank

Phi ll ips Airfield 50th Annual Tulsa Regional

Fly-In Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400

wwwtulsafJyincom

SEPTEMBER 24-Hinkley IL-OC2 EAA Ch 241

Breakfast on the Grass 730am-Noon Info 847-888-2119

SEPTEMBER 3O--Hanover IN-Lee Bottom Flying

Reid (641) 10th Annual Wood Fabric amp

Tailwheels Fly-In Come see what everyone

is talking about If you love the good old

says then youll love this event Info www LeeBottomcom

SEPTEMBER 30--Topping VA-Hummel Air Field

The 11th Annual Car amp Air Event Featuring Antique Cars amp Planes Plus Rre Apparatus

Tractors amp Engines and Arts amp Crafts of all types Info 804-758-4330 or 804shy

694-5995 infowingsandwheelus www wingsandwhees us

OCTOBER 11-15-Tullahoma TN-Beech Party

2006 StaggerwingjTwin Beech 18Bonanza

BaronBeech owners amp enthusiasts are

welcome Sponsored by the Staggerwing

Museum Foundation Staggerwing Club Twin

Beech 18 Society BonanzaBaron Museum

amp Travel Air Division Info 931455-1794

OCTOBER 14-Georgetown DE-Sussex County

Airport (GED) Delaware Aviation Museum

3rd Annual Wings and Wheels Fly-In Vintage

Classic and Warbirds judging and awards Fun

flying activities during the day Rides available

for purchase in a 8-25 and PT-17 Antique and

vintage cars as well as street rods Judging

and awards for cars also Free admission

to the public Donations appreciated Info

302-855-2355OCTOBER 29--Jean NV-Jean

Airport 18th Annual North Las Vegas

International Ercoupe Fly In and Halloween

party (EOC Region 8) Info httpwwwairnav

comairportOLl

2006 MAJOR FLy-INS

For details on EAA Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents

EAA MidmiddotEastern Regional FIymiddotln Marion Municipal Airport (MNN) MarionOH August 25-272006

Virginia Regional EAA FIymiddotln Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB) Petersburg VA September 30-0ctober 1 2006 wwwvaeaaorg

EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Reid Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 6-8 2006 wwwserfiorg

Copperstate Regional EAA FIymiddotln Casa Grande (AR) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 26-29 2006 wwwcopperstateorg

For details on EM Chapter fty-ins and other local aviashy

tion events visit wwweaaorgevents

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

President Vice-Presiden t Geoff Robison George Daubner

1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven iN 46774 Hartford WI 53027

260-493-4724 262-673-5885 cl lief7025tlolconl vaaflybo7115ncom

secretary Treasurer Steve Nesseuro Charl es W Harris

2009 Highland Ave 7215 East 46th St Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147

507-373-1674 918-622-8400 sfflesdeskmediacom (whhvsucom

DIRECTORS Steve Bender Jeannie Hill

85 Brush Hill Road PO Box 328 Sherborn MA 01770 Harvard IL 60033-0328

508-653-7557 815-943-7205 sst 100comcastnet digwoOWCllft

David Bennett Espie Butch Joyce 375 Killdeer Ct 704 N Regional Rd

Lincoln CA 95648 Greensboro NC 27409 9 16-645-8370 336-668-3650

antiquerillreacllcom Willdsockaoicom

John Berendt Steve Krog 7645 Echo Point Rd 1002 Heather Ln

Cannon Falls MN 55009 Hartford WI 53027 507-263-2414 262-966-7627

mibfchldrcollflectcom sskrog(4l101com

Dave Clark Robert D Bob Lumley 635 Vestal Lane 1265 South 124th St

Plainfield IN 461 68 Brookfield WI 53005 317-839-4500 262-782-2633

davecpdiqlltHl1e lllmperextcpccom

john S Copeland Gene Morris l A Deacon Street 5936 Steve Court

Northborough MA 01532 Roanoke TX 76262 508-393-4775 8 17-49 1-9 1 IO

cupelalldJjllllocom genel11orrisclwrternet

Phil Coulson Dean Richardson 28415 Springbrook Dr 1429 Kings Lynn Rd

Lawton MI 49065 Stoughton WI 53589 269-624-6490 608-877-8485

rcollson516cs(um daraprilairecoln

Dale A Gustafson SH Wes Schmid 7724 Shady Hills Dr 2359 Lefeber Avenue

Indianapolis IN 46278 Wauwatosa WI 532 13 317-293-4430 414-771-1545

daieilye(g)lnSllcom sJiscJilndrs-nilwpccom

DIRECTORS EMERITUS

Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904 Union IL 60180 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591

GRCHAcJwrter llet bllck7acdisntt

Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012

rFritlpathwayetcom

Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENE FITS OF EAA AND ~ THE EAA VINTAGE A IRCRAFT ASSOC IATION

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site wwwvintageaircraftorg and wwwairventllreorg E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membersh ip Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST)

middot Newrenew membersh ips EAA Divishysions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)

bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales middot Gift memberships

Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore information 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing920-426-48 7 6 Education 888-322-3229

bull EAA Air Academy bull EAA Scholarships

Flight Advisors information 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors 920-426-6864 Young Eagles 877-806-8902

Benefits AVA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company) Editorial 920-426-4825 Vintage FAX 920-426-6865

bull Submitting articlephoto bull Advertising information

EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA lAC

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Current EAA members may join the Association Inc is $40 for one year includshy International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi shying 12 issues opound SPORT AVIATION Family sion and receive SPOR T AEROBATICS membersh ip ~s an additional $LO annually magazine for an additional $45 per year Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyis available at $23 annually All major credit ICS magazine and one year membership cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for in the lAC Division is available for $55 Foreign Postage) per year (SPORT AVIA TION magazine

not included) (A dd $ 18 f or Foreign EAA SPORT PILOT Postage)

Curren t EAA members may add EAA SPORT PILOT magazine for an additional WARBIRDS $20 per year Current EAA members may join the EAA

EAA Membersh ip a n d EAA SPORT Warbirds of America Division and receive PILOT magazine is available for $40 per WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 year (SPORT AVIA TION magaZine not inshy per year cluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage) EAA Membership WARBIRDS magashy

zine and one year membership in the VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Warbirds Division is avaiJable for $50 per

Current EAA m embers may join the year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not inshyVin tage Aircraft Association and receive cluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage) VINTA GE AIRPLANE magazine for an ad shyditional $36 per year FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE Please submit your remittance with a magaZine and one year membership in the EAA check or draft drawn on a United States Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 bank payable in United States dollars Add per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shy required Foreign Postage amount for each cluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage) membership

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vinlage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903middot3086 emiddotmail vintageaircrafteaaorg Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTshyMASTER Send address changes 10 Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcretumsWdsmailcom FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - pase allow at leasl two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISshyING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken

EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the conlributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Editor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800

EMreg and EM SPORT AViATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Associalionlnc The use of Ihese trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited

VIN TA G E AIRPLA NE 39

Something to buy sell or trade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with boldface lead-in on first line Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white

only and no frequency discounts Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the

March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted) Include n~me on card complete address type of card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA Address advertiSing correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Airplane T-Shirts 150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom

1-800-645-7739

Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call

800-517-9278

THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT ON THE WEB

wwwaviation-giftshopcom A Website with the Pilot in Mind (and those who love airplanes)

Warner engines Two 165s one fresh OH one low time on Fairchild 24 mount with all accessories Also Helton Lark and Aeronca C-3 project Find my name and address in the Officers and Directors listing and call evenings E E Buck Hilbert

AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481

Ohio - statewide

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings main bear ings bushings master rods valves piston rings Call us Toll Free 1-800shy233-6934 e-mail ramremfgag l com Website wwwramenginecom VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202

KNOW ANYONE WHOS INTO PLANES

Distinctive Greeting Card Sets shyBoxed for Gifts

BIRTHDAYS - FATHERS DAY shyHOLIDAYS - NOTE CARDS

Artistically Rendered Antique Aircraft 12 cards per set (4 14 by 5 12) shy

blank inside - $15 wwwClassyWingscom

LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA CERTIFICATE-Brenco has a 25 year history of training AampPs to obtain their Inspection AuttlOrizat ion Courses are offered every year in Battle Creek MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for additional information

A+P Mechanic with Machining and Fabrication experience has time and shop space available for your project or restoration Waukesha Wisconsin Email Sportbuilderyahoocom with details and questions

CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your flying club flight shop museum Free samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1-828shy654-9711

Monasco C-4125 HP complete Includes Hamilton Stardard 86 ground adjustable prop No logs $6000 OBO Ken 909shy599-4164

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING (SEE PAGE 26) For many years we ran a regular monthly feature called What Our Members Are Restoring Over the past couple of

years the number of submissions for that feature has dwindled to a trickle and wed like you to help us give it a boost In the distant past each new and renewing member of EAA and VAA received an activity card that gave the member the opportunity to tell headquarters what airplanes they were working on Since that card is no longer part of a new-member packet we have no way of knowing what youre up to so heres our request

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and youre busy flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source Ino home printers please-those prints just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixellor higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane IIf your e-mail program asks if youd like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph

For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorgor call us at 920-426-4825

40 AUGUST 2006

From left to right Volvo XG90 Lincoln Zephyr Ford F-150 and MAZDASPEED6

Exclusive Pricing par~ner Ex tmiddot II Smiddot I Iecognition cep lona y Imp e v E H I C L E PUR C HAS E P LAN Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer their

members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease from one ~ of their family of brands - Ford Lincoln Mercury Mazda Volvo EAA Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles

In more ways than one it pays to be an EM member Take advantage of the Ford Partner Recognition Vehicle Purchase Plan The simple way to save hundreds even thousands of dollars on your next vehicle purchase

Get your personal identification number (PIN) from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EANFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for one year to be eligible This offer is available to residents of the United States and Canada

Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or call 800-843-3612

~ ~VOLVO JAGUAR ~

LINCOLN MERCURY