44
t-APPY t-OLiDAYS
DECEMBER VOL 37 No 12 2009
CONTENTS 2 News
4 2009 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee Stephen Pitcairn
6 One Outstanding Stinson Flying Station Wagon Soon to be joined by its sister ship
by Sparky Barnes Sargent
13 Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A tangible tapestry of time by Sparky Barnes Sargent
20 A Country Boys Dream The story of Aircraft By Shue by Dick Crenshaw
24 Light Plane Heritage The Dormoy Bath Tub by Jack McRae
26 What Our Members Are Restoring Ray Lemmons Stinson 108 by HG Frautschy
28 Chapter Locator STAFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny30 The Vintage Mechanic Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones
Fuel and oil systems Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschyby Robert G Lock ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen Witman
Photography Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz
by HG Frautschy 34 Mystery Plane
Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Lesley Poberezny Copy Editor Colleen Walsh
36 Vintage Book Reviews Di rector of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw
Display Advertising Representatives39 Classified Ads Specialized Publications Co US Eastern Time Zone-Northeast Ken Ross 609-822-3750 Fax 609-957-5650 kr40comcastnetCOVERS
FRONT COVER Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial numbers US Eastern Time Zone-Southeast Chester Baumgartner wondered Richard Preiser of Delray Beach Florida The first airplane in his stable is this Stinshy 727-532-4640 Fax 727-532-4630 son 108-3 restored by Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio NC6364M was the VAA cbaum111mindspringcom Classic Reserve Grand Champion in 2006 Now owned by Preiser it wi ll serve as the sistershy US Central Time Zone Gary Worden and Todd Reese ship of the airplane he is now restoring NC6365M See the story by Sparky Barnes-Sargent 800-444-9932 Fax 816-741-6458 starting on page 6 EM photo by Jim Koepnick photo plane flown by Bruce Moore gary wordenspc-magcom toddspc-magcom BACK COVER A gentle snowfall on a winter s day just outside of Old School Aviation at Van
US Mountain and Pacific Time Zones John GibsonSant Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania gives us a beautiful background to admire Ray Lemshy 916-784-9593 Fax 510-217-3796 mons recently restored Stinson 108 and a Stearman destined to be shipped overseas The jolmgibsonspc-magcom photo was snapped by one of the Old School Aviation mechanics who worked on the Stinson
Europe Willi TackeChristopher Cummings Our thanks to Mssrs Lemmon and Cummings for sending it to us toshyPhone +49(0)1716980871 Fax +49(0)8841 496012
wards the end of last winter See the article on Lemmons Stinson 108 starting on page 26 willilying-pagescom
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
The Vintage Instructor Column The Vintage Instructor column will
be taking a brief break during the winter months as we revise the edishytorial calendar related to that feashyture Due to the pressing needs of his business Doug Stewart will no longer be writing the column Doug began writing for our then-new colshyumn The Vintage Instructor in Janushyary of 2003 We thank Doug for his efforts as the leadoff batter and we wish him well in the future
Vintage Airplane Magazine With the announcement by EAA
of the ending of publication of Sport Pilot amp Light-Sport Aircraft and the incorporation of the content of that magazine into a new EAA Sport Aviation a few VAA members have wondered aloud if there are any similar planned changes to the division publications and in parshyticular to Vintage Airplane In short the answer is no
VAA and its board of directors recshyognize that one of the most visible and anticipated member benefits is our monthly magazine and that its publication as a printed magashyzine is important to each member While continuing to print Vintage Airplane we will explore other techshynologies to further enhance memshybership including EAAs online community at wwwOshkosh365 org a members-only online archive of Vintage Airplane magazine as well as electronic means to share slide show video and audio conshytent related to information on the operation restoration and social aspects of being part of the vintage aircraft community Adding to and enhancing the content of Vintage Airplane is our goal not to replace it with online-only content We will continue to pack it full of content from our regular contributors and from members who volunteer to share their knowledge with their
and may it always be so
Treasurer Charles W Harris Retires Citing personal reasons VAA Treasurer Charles W Harris has anshy
nounced his retirement from the VAA board of directors effective imshymediately Prior to making his retirement announcement Charlie had advised the board he had not felt well for several months On medical examination he was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that is being treated successfully and a full recovery is expected
In a letter to his fellow direcshytors he wrote
It has been a unique honor and rare privi lege to have served EAA the Vintage Aircraft Association board Paul Tom and the entire leadership and membership of EAA and VAA I will be most happy to assist in any transitional matters with those elected or named to sucshyceed me My very best wishes to all of the officers and directors of the Vintage Airshycraft Association in the years to come Vintage is the finest such organization in the world
Harris who has also stepped down from his volunteer efforts durshying EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has been a member of the board since being elected in 1988 and he has served as VAA treasurer since 1996 An inductee of the VAA Hall of Fame Charlie has served the membership on a national and local basis for more than 35 years Weve been in regular contact with Charlie over the past couple of weeks he is home and tells us he has had significant improvement on the road to recovery We all wish him well
fellow VAA members If you have something you think would be of benefit to other members feel free to drop us a line at vintageaircraft eaaorg or via regular mail at VAA PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903
Working on Better Wi-Fi for AirVenture 2010
Even with the best events theres
always room for improvement and thats the approach EAA headquarshyters is taking toward improving WishyFi coverage on the grounds at next years fly-in During lithe heat of battle at Oshkosh last summer the wireless Internet availability and connections were well below the high standards EAA members and visitors expect That was confirmed in the comment cards and postshyevent surveys
Your voices were heard and your
2 DECEMBER 2009
feedback noted Those comments were exactly what EAA needed to take back to its wireless partners and supshypliers to make things better in 2010 Well continue to survey EAA memshybers and AirVenture attendees to deshytermine the best way to meet the demand next year Look for updates as we make progress over the winter and use your ideas to make things better on the Net next summer
Members Aim to Resurrect Bugatti Racer
Two Oklahoma EAA membersshyScotty Wilson EAA snss and Gregg Carlson EAA 101S379-are hoping to create a true replica of the Bugatti Model 100 racer The sleek machine was built by famed autoshymobile maker Ettore Bugatti and enshygineer Louis de Monge to compete in an air race before the outbreak of World War II but it wasnt finshyished in time When the German army marched on Paris in June 1940 the project was abandoned before the airplane ever flew Evenshytually it was brought to America by car aficionado Ray Jones to acquire its engines In 1996 the aircraft was donated to EAA and its on display at EAAs AirVenture Museum
In mid-October Wilson and Carlshyson came to EAA to identify the planes airfoil using a Profiler an electronic plotter that rolls along the wings surface transferring data to a computer for analysis Because there is no comprehensive set of drawings covering the entire aircraft the only way to build one is to backwards enshygineer it said Wilson It is absoshylutely essential that we be able to accurately determine what airfoil is on the plane Wilson stressed
Some aviation enthusiasts insist that since the aircraft has never flown it is not historically Significant but Wilson vehemently disagrees Five patents were issued to Bugatti for the airplane-many of which appeared on other aircraft after the war he said including the dual drive train the flight control tail that mixes the elevator and the rudder and the aushytomatic flaps system which pre-dates
Behind the Scenes Volunteer of the Year Award We ran out of space last month to include a photo of our two VAA
Behind the Scenes Volunteers of the Year Flanking VAA President Geoff Robison are Michael Blombach (left) and Archie James The Indiana twosome oversaw the Vintage Hangar project and worked throughout the spring and summer to complete the hangar on time and under budget which made it possible to enjoy the facility for the first time during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 Our thanks to Mike and Archie for their above and beyond the call of duty volunteer spirit
Scotty Wilson left and Gregg Carlson meticulously plot the original Bushygatti wing in attempts to determine its NACA airfoil EAA has the airplane displayed in the AirVenture Museum
the F-16s by 40 years Construction of the replica
started in May The fuselage shell is finished and Wilson expects to complete the empennage and fuseshylage over this winter
The replica racer is being built to
accommodate the Bugatti SOB enshygines modified for aircraft use turnshying two metal ground-adjustable contra-rotating Ratier propellers but the likely powerplants will be two late-1990searly 2000s BMW engines
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Scouring the nation for at least one example of the Pitcairn Mailwing series of biplanes was one of Pitcairns passions Here he pilots the PA-8M Super Mailwing (right) with the PA-6 Super Mailwing along the shore of Lake Winnebago in 1997
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background As a young man Steve (right) spent some time working for the successor to Pitcairn Aviations airmail operations Eastern Air Lines
Stephen Pitcairn the son of the aviation entrepreneur Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aircraft preserved
his fathers legacy by restoring Pitshycairn aircraft and donating to many aircraft endeavors He had a deep love for aviation and attained his pilot certificate around 1940
Because of the effects of a childshyhood illness Stephen Pitcairn was rejected from military service but he was able to fly with the Civil Air Patrol along the East Coast of the United States searching for enemy submarines For a short time he flew DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines In the 1950s he was denied his FAA medshyical certificate During this time he put his energies toward antique cars When he finally got his medical cershytificate back in the 1970s he began buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft
Stephen Pitcairn served EAA as a member of the EAA Foundation board of directors from 1982 through 1990 After the restoration of EAAs Ford Tri-Motor was completed he made possible the construction of EAAs Pitcairn Hangar on Pioneer Airshyport The hangar serves as the perfect place to tell the story of his fathers company Pitcairn Aviation and stands as a grand location to display the other aircraft he has donated to EAA over the years the PA-39 Autoshygiro the PA-7 Sport Mailwing and Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Chamshypion He also made possible the resshytoration of the 1928 Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1 Autogiro donating the hisshytoric rotorcraft to the National Air and Space Museums collection Preshyferring to keep his philanthropy quiet Pitcairn donated to many mushyseums and he gave freely of his reshysources to preserve the history of aviation making his contributions with little or no fanfare
DECEMBER 2009 4
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
DECEMBER VOL 37 No 12 2009
CONTENTS 2 News
4 2009 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee Stephen Pitcairn
6 One Outstanding Stinson Flying Station Wagon Soon to be joined by its sister ship
by Sparky Barnes Sargent
13 Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A tangible tapestry of time by Sparky Barnes Sargent
20 A Country Boys Dream The story of Aircraft By Shue by Dick Crenshaw
24 Light Plane Heritage The Dormoy Bath Tub by Jack McRae
26 What Our Members Are Restoring Ray Lemmons Stinson 108 by HG Frautschy
28 Chapter Locator STAFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny30 The Vintage Mechanic Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones
Fuel and oil systems Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschyby Robert G Lock ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen Witman
Photography Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz
by HG Frautschy 34 Mystery Plane
Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Lesley Poberezny Copy Editor Colleen Walsh
36 Vintage Book Reviews Di rector of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw
Display Advertising Representatives39 Classified Ads Specialized Publications Co US Eastern Time Zone-Northeast Ken Ross 609-822-3750 Fax 609-957-5650 kr40comcastnetCOVERS
FRONT COVER Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial numbers US Eastern Time Zone-Southeast Chester Baumgartner wondered Richard Preiser of Delray Beach Florida The first airplane in his stable is this Stinshy 727-532-4640 Fax 727-532-4630 son 108-3 restored by Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio NC6364M was the VAA cbaum111mindspringcom Classic Reserve Grand Champion in 2006 Now owned by Preiser it wi ll serve as the sistershy US Central Time Zone Gary Worden and Todd Reese ship of the airplane he is now restoring NC6365M See the story by Sparky Barnes-Sargent 800-444-9932 Fax 816-741-6458 starting on page 6 EM photo by Jim Koepnick photo plane flown by Bruce Moore gary wordenspc-magcom toddspc-magcom BACK COVER A gentle snowfall on a winter s day just outside of Old School Aviation at Van
US Mountain and Pacific Time Zones John GibsonSant Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania gives us a beautiful background to admire Ray Lemshy 916-784-9593 Fax 510-217-3796 mons recently restored Stinson 108 and a Stearman destined to be shipped overseas The jolmgibsonspc-magcom photo was snapped by one of the Old School Aviation mechanics who worked on the Stinson
Europe Willi TackeChristopher Cummings Our thanks to Mssrs Lemmon and Cummings for sending it to us toshyPhone +49(0)1716980871 Fax +49(0)8841 496012
wards the end of last winter See the article on Lemmons Stinson 108 starting on page 26 willilying-pagescom
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
The Vintage Instructor Column The Vintage Instructor column will
be taking a brief break during the winter months as we revise the edishytorial calendar related to that feashyture Due to the pressing needs of his business Doug Stewart will no longer be writing the column Doug began writing for our then-new colshyumn The Vintage Instructor in Janushyary of 2003 We thank Doug for his efforts as the leadoff batter and we wish him well in the future
Vintage Airplane Magazine With the announcement by EAA
of the ending of publication of Sport Pilot amp Light-Sport Aircraft and the incorporation of the content of that magazine into a new EAA Sport Aviation a few VAA members have wondered aloud if there are any similar planned changes to the division publications and in parshyticular to Vintage Airplane In short the answer is no
VAA and its board of directors recshyognize that one of the most visible and anticipated member benefits is our monthly magazine and that its publication as a printed magashyzine is important to each member While continuing to print Vintage Airplane we will explore other techshynologies to further enhance memshybership including EAAs online community at wwwOshkosh365 org a members-only online archive of Vintage Airplane magazine as well as electronic means to share slide show video and audio conshytent related to information on the operation restoration and social aspects of being part of the vintage aircraft community Adding to and enhancing the content of Vintage Airplane is our goal not to replace it with online-only content We will continue to pack it full of content from our regular contributors and from members who volunteer to share their knowledge with their
and may it always be so
Treasurer Charles W Harris Retires Citing personal reasons VAA Treasurer Charles W Harris has anshy
nounced his retirement from the VAA board of directors effective imshymediately Prior to making his retirement announcement Charlie had advised the board he had not felt well for several months On medical examination he was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that is being treated successfully and a full recovery is expected
In a letter to his fellow direcshytors he wrote
It has been a unique honor and rare privi lege to have served EAA the Vintage Aircraft Association board Paul Tom and the entire leadership and membership of EAA and VAA I will be most happy to assist in any transitional matters with those elected or named to sucshyceed me My very best wishes to all of the officers and directors of the Vintage Airshycraft Association in the years to come Vintage is the finest such organization in the world
Harris who has also stepped down from his volunteer efforts durshying EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has been a member of the board since being elected in 1988 and he has served as VAA treasurer since 1996 An inductee of the VAA Hall of Fame Charlie has served the membership on a national and local basis for more than 35 years Weve been in regular contact with Charlie over the past couple of weeks he is home and tells us he has had significant improvement on the road to recovery We all wish him well
fellow VAA members If you have something you think would be of benefit to other members feel free to drop us a line at vintageaircraft eaaorg or via regular mail at VAA PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903
Working on Better Wi-Fi for AirVenture 2010
Even with the best events theres
always room for improvement and thats the approach EAA headquarshyters is taking toward improving WishyFi coverage on the grounds at next years fly-in During lithe heat of battle at Oshkosh last summer the wireless Internet availability and connections were well below the high standards EAA members and visitors expect That was confirmed in the comment cards and postshyevent surveys
Your voices were heard and your
2 DECEMBER 2009
feedback noted Those comments were exactly what EAA needed to take back to its wireless partners and supshypliers to make things better in 2010 Well continue to survey EAA memshybers and AirVenture attendees to deshytermine the best way to meet the demand next year Look for updates as we make progress over the winter and use your ideas to make things better on the Net next summer
Members Aim to Resurrect Bugatti Racer
Two Oklahoma EAA membersshyScotty Wilson EAA snss and Gregg Carlson EAA 101S379-are hoping to create a true replica of the Bugatti Model 100 racer The sleek machine was built by famed autoshymobile maker Ettore Bugatti and enshygineer Louis de Monge to compete in an air race before the outbreak of World War II but it wasnt finshyished in time When the German army marched on Paris in June 1940 the project was abandoned before the airplane ever flew Evenshytually it was brought to America by car aficionado Ray Jones to acquire its engines In 1996 the aircraft was donated to EAA and its on display at EAAs AirVenture Museum
In mid-October Wilson and Carlshyson came to EAA to identify the planes airfoil using a Profiler an electronic plotter that rolls along the wings surface transferring data to a computer for analysis Because there is no comprehensive set of drawings covering the entire aircraft the only way to build one is to backwards enshygineer it said Wilson It is absoshylutely essential that we be able to accurately determine what airfoil is on the plane Wilson stressed
Some aviation enthusiasts insist that since the aircraft has never flown it is not historically Significant but Wilson vehemently disagrees Five patents were issued to Bugatti for the airplane-many of which appeared on other aircraft after the war he said including the dual drive train the flight control tail that mixes the elevator and the rudder and the aushytomatic flaps system which pre-dates
Behind the Scenes Volunteer of the Year Award We ran out of space last month to include a photo of our two VAA
Behind the Scenes Volunteers of the Year Flanking VAA President Geoff Robison are Michael Blombach (left) and Archie James The Indiana twosome oversaw the Vintage Hangar project and worked throughout the spring and summer to complete the hangar on time and under budget which made it possible to enjoy the facility for the first time during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 Our thanks to Mike and Archie for their above and beyond the call of duty volunteer spirit
Scotty Wilson left and Gregg Carlson meticulously plot the original Bushygatti wing in attempts to determine its NACA airfoil EAA has the airplane displayed in the AirVenture Museum
the F-16s by 40 years Construction of the replica
started in May The fuselage shell is finished and Wilson expects to complete the empennage and fuseshylage over this winter
The replica racer is being built to
accommodate the Bugatti SOB enshygines modified for aircraft use turnshying two metal ground-adjustable contra-rotating Ratier propellers but the likely powerplants will be two late-1990searly 2000s BMW engines
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Scouring the nation for at least one example of the Pitcairn Mailwing series of biplanes was one of Pitcairns passions Here he pilots the PA-8M Super Mailwing (right) with the PA-6 Super Mailwing along the shore of Lake Winnebago in 1997
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background As a young man Steve (right) spent some time working for the successor to Pitcairn Aviations airmail operations Eastern Air Lines
Stephen Pitcairn the son of the aviation entrepreneur Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aircraft preserved
his fathers legacy by restoring Pitshycairn aircraft and donating to many aircraft endeavors He had a deep love for aviation and attained his pilot certificate around 1940
Because of the effects of a childshyhood illness Stephen Pitcairn was rejected from military service but he was able to fly with the Civil Air Patrol along the East Coast of the United States searching for enemy submarines For a short time he flew DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines In the 1950s he was denied his FAA medshyical certificate During this time he put his energies toward antique cars When he finally got his medical cershytificate back in the 1970s he began buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft
Stephen Pitcairn served EAA as a member of the EAA Foundation board of directors from 1982 through 1990 After the restoration of EAAs Ford Tri-Motor was completed he made possible the construction of EAAs Pitcairn Hangar on Pioneer Airshyport The hangar serves as the perfect place to tell the story of his fathers company Pitcairn Aviation and stands as a grand location to display the other aircraft he has donated to EAA over the years the PA-39 Autoshygiro the PA-7 Sport Mailwing and Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Chamshypion He also made possible the resshytoration of the 1928 Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1 Autogiro donating the hisshytoric rotorcraft to the National Air and Space Museums collection Preshyferring to keep his philanthropy quiet Pitcairn donated to many mushyseums and he gave freely of his reshysources to preserve the history of aviation making his contributions with little or no fanfare
DECEMBER 2009 4
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
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EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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lAC Current EAA members may join the
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Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
The Vintage Instructor Column The Vintage Instructor column will
be taking a brief break during the winter months as we revise the edishytorial calendar related to that feashyture Due to the pressing needs of his business Doug Stewart will no longer be writing the column Doug began writing for our then-new colshyumn The Vintage Instructor in Janushyary of 2003 We thank Doug for his efforts as the leadoff batter and we wish him well in the future
Vintage Airplane Magazine With the announcement by EAA
of the ending of publication of Sport Pilot amp Light-Sport Aircraft and the incorporation of the content of that magazine into a new EAA Sport Aviation a few VAA members have wondered aloud if there are any similar planned changes to the division publications and in parshyticular to Vintage Airplane In short the answer is no
VAA and its board of directors recshyognize that one of the most visible and anticipated member benefits is our monthly magazine and that its publication as a printed magashyzine is important to each member While continuing to print Vintage Airplane we will explore other techshynologies to further enhance memshybership including EAAs online community at wwwOshkosh365 org a members-only online archive of Vintage Airplane magazine as well as electronic means to share slide show video and audio conshytent related to information on the operation restoration and social aspects of being part of the vintage aircraft community Adding to and enhancing the content of Vintage Airplane is our goal not to replace it with online-only content We will continue to pack it full of content from our regular contributors and from members who volunteer to share their knowledge with their
and may it always be so
Treasurer Charles W Harris Retires Citing personal reasons VAA Treasurer Charles W Harris has anshy
nounced his retirement from the VAA board of directors effective imshymediately Prior to making his retirement announcement Charlie had advised the board he had not felt well for several months On medical examination he was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that is being treated successfully and a full recovery is expected
In a letter to his fellow direcshytors he wrote
It has been a unique honor and rare privi lege to have served EAA the Vintage Aircraft Association board Paul Tom and the entire leadership and membership of EAA and VAA I will be most happy to assist in any transitional matters with those elected or named to sucshyceed me My very best wishes to all of the officers and directors of the Vintage Airshycraft Association in the years to come Vintage is the finest such organization in the world
Harris who has also stepped down from his volunteer efforts durshying EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has been a member of the board since being elected in 1988 and he has served as VAA treasurer since 1996 An inductee of the VAA Hall of Fame Charlie has served the membership on a national and local basis for more than 35 years Weve been in regular contact with Charlie over the past couple of weeks he is home and tells us he has had significant improvement on the road to recovery We all wish him well
fellow VAA members If you have something you think would be of benefit to other members feel free to drop us a line at vintageaircraft eaaorg or via regular mail at VAA PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903
Working on Better Wi-Fi for AirVenture 2010
Even with the best events theres
always room for improvement and thats the approach EAA headquarshyters is taking toward improving WishyFi coverage on the grounds at next years fly-in During lithe heat of battle at Oshkosh last summer the wireless Internet availability and connections were well below the high standards EAA members and visitors expect That was confirmed in the comment cards and postshyevent surveys
Your voices were heard and your
2 DECEMBER 2009
feedback noted Those comments were exactly what EAA needed to take back to its wireless partners and supshypliers to make things better in 2010 Well continue to survey EAA memshybers and AirVenture attendees to deshytermine the best way to meet the demand next year Look for updates as we make progress over the winter and use your ideas to make things better on the Net next summer
Members Aim to Resurrect Bugatti Racer
Two Oklahoma EAA membersshyScotty Wilson EAA snss and Gregg Carlson EAA 101S379-are hoping to create a true replica of the Bugatti Model 100 racer The sleek machine was built by famed autoshymobile maker Ettore Bugatti and enshygineer Louis de Monge to compete in an air race before the outbreak of World War II but it wasnt finshyished in time When the German army marched on Paris in June 1940 the project was abandoned before the airplane ever flew Evenshytually it was brought to America by car aficionado Ray Jones to acquire its engines In 1996 the aircraft was donated to EAA and its on display at EAAs AirVenture Museum
In mid-October Wilson and Carlshyson came to EAA to identify the planes airfoil using a Profiler an electronic plotter that rolls along the wings surface transferring data to a computer for analysis Because there is no comprehensive set of drawings covering the entire aircraft the only way to build one is to backwards enshygineer it said Wilson It is absoshylutely essential that we be able to accurately determine what airfoil is on the plane Wilson stressed
Some aviation enthusiasts insist that since the aircraft has never flown it is not historically Significant but Wilson vehemently disagrees Five patents were issued to Bugatti for the airplane-many of which appeared on other aircraft after the war he said including the dual drive train the flight control tail that mixes the elevator and the rudder and the aushytomatic flaps system which pre-dates
Behind the Scenes Volunteer of the Year Award We ran out of space last month to include a photo of our two VAA
Behind the Scenes Volunteers of the Year Flanking VAA President Geoff Robison are Michael Blombach (left) and Archie James The Indiana twosome oversaw the Vintage Hangar project and worked throughout the spring and summer to complete the hangar on time and under budget which made it possible to enjoy the facility for the first time during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 Our thanks to Mike and Archie for their above and beyond the call of duty volunteer spirit
Scotty Wilson left and Gregg Carlson meticulously plot the original Bushygatti wing in attempts to determine its NACA airfoil EAA has the airplane displayed in the AirVenture Museum
the F-16s by 40 years Construction of the replica
started in May The fuselage shell is finished and Wilson expects to complete the empennage and fuseshylage over this winter
The replica racer is being built to
accommodate the Bugatti SOB enshygines modified for aircraft use turnshying two metal ground-adjustable contra-rotating Ratier propellers but the likely powerplants will be two late-1990searly 2000s BMW engines
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Scouring the nation for at least one example of the Pitcairn Mailwing series of biplanes was one of Pitcairns passions Here he pilots the PA-8M Super Mailwing (right) with the PA-6 Super Mailwing along the shore of Lake Winnebago in 1997
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background As a young man Steve (right) spent some time working for the successor to Pitcairn Aviations airmail operations Eastern Air Lines
Stephen Pitcairn the son of the aviation entrepreneur Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aircraft preserved
his fathers legacy by restoring Pitshycairn aircraft and donating to many aircraft endeavors He had a deep love for aviation and attained his pilot certificate around 1940
Because of the effects of a childshyhood illness Stephen Pitcairn was rejected from military service but he was able to fly with the Civil Air Patrol along the East Coast of the United States searching for enemy submarines For a short time he flew DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines In the 1950s he was denied his FAA medshyical certificate During this time he put his energies toward antique cars When he finally got his medical cershytificate back in the 1970s he began buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft
Stephen Pitcairn served EAA as a member of the EAA Foundation board of directors from 1982 through 1990 After the restoration of EAAs Ford Tri-Motor was completed he made possible the construction of EAAs Pitcairn Hangar on Pioneer Airshyport The hangar serves as the perfect place to tell the story of his fathers company Pitcairn Aviation and stands as a grand location to display the other aircraft he has donated to EAA over the years the PA-39 Autoshygiro the PA-7 Sport Mailwing and Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Chamshypion He also made possible the resshytoration of the 1928 Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1 Autogiro donating the hisshytoric rotorcraft to the National Air and Space Museums collection Preshyferring to keep his philanthropy quiet Pitcairn donated to many mushyseums and he gave freely of his reshysources to preserve the history of aviation making his contributions with little or no fanfare
DECEMBER 2009 4
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
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SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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President Geoff Robison
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DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
feedback noted Those comments were exactly what EAA needed to take back to its wireless partners and supshypliers to make things better in 2010 Well continue to survey EAA memshybers and AirVenture attendees to deshytermine the best way to meet the demand next year Look for updates as we make progress over the winter and use your ideas to make things better on the Net next summer
Members Aim to Resurrect Bugatti Racer
Two Oklahoma EAA membersshyScotty Wilson EAA snss and Gregg Carlson EAA 101S379-are hoping to create a true replica of the Bugatti Model 100 racer The sleek machine was built by famed autoshymobile maker Ettore Bugatti and enshygineer Louis de Monge to compete in an air race before the outbreak of World War II but it wasnt finshyished in time When the German army marched on Paris in June 1940 the project was abandoned before the airplane ever flew Evenshytually it was brought to America by car aficionado Ray Jones to acquire its engines In 1996 the aircraft was donated to EAA and its on display at EAAs AirVenture Museum
In mid-October Wilson and Carlshyson came to EAA to identify the planes airfoil using a Profiler an electronic plotter that rolls along the wings surface transferring data to a computer for analysis Because there is no comprehensive set of drawings covering the entire aircraft the only way to build one is to backwards enshygineer it said Wilson It is absoshylutely essential that we be able to accurately determine what airfoil is on the plane Wilson stressed
Some aviation enthusiasts insist that since the aircraft has never flown it is not historically Significant but Wilson vehemently disagrees Five patents were issued to Bugatti for the airplane-many of which appeared on other aircraft after the war he said including the dual drive train the flight control tail that mixes the elevator and the rudder and the aushytomatic flaps system which pre-dates
Behind the Scenes Volunteer of the Year Award We ran out of space last month to include a photo of our two VAA
Behind the Scenes Volunteers of the Year Flanking VAA President Geoff Robison are Michael Blombach (left) and Archie James The Indiana twosome oversaw the Vintage Hangar project and worked throughout the spring and summer to complete the hangar on time and under budget which made it possible to enjoy the facility for the first time during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 Our thanks to Mike and Archie for their above and beyond the call of duty volunteer spirit
Scotty Wilson left and Gregg Carlson meticulously plot the original Bushygatti wing in attempts to determine its NACA airfoil EAA has the airplane displayed in the AirVenture Museum
the F-16s by 40 years Construction of the replica
started in May The fuselage shell is finished and Wilson expects to complete the empennage and fuseshylage over this winter
The replica racer is being built to
accommodate the Bugatti SOB enshygines modified for aircraft use turnshying two metal ground-adjustable contra-rotating Ratier propellers but the likely powerplants will be two late-1990searly 2000s BMW engines
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Scouring the nation for at least one example of the Pitcairn Mailwing series of biplanes was one of Pitcairns passions Here he pilots the PA-8M Super Mailwing (right) with the PA-6 Super Mailwing along the shore of Lake Winnebago in 1997
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background As a young man Steve (right) spent some time working for the successor to Pitcairn Aviations airmail operations Eastern Air Lines
Stephen Pitcairn the son of the aviation entrepreneur Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aircraft preserved
his fathers legacy by restoring Pitshycairn aircraft and donating to many aircraft endeavors He had a deep love for aviation and attained his pilot certificate around 1940
Because of the effects of a childshyhood illness Stephen Pitcairn was rejected from military service but he was able to fly with the Civil Air Patrol along the East Coast of the United States searching for enemy submarines For a short time he flew DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines In the 1950s he was denied his FAA medshyical certificate During this time he put his energies toward antique cars When he finally got his medical cershytificate back in the 1970s he began buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft
Stephen Pitcairn served EAA as a member of the EAA Foundation board of directors from 1982 through 1990 After the restoration of EAAs Ford Tri-Motor was completed he made possible the construction of EAAs Pitcairn Hangar on Pioneer Airshyport The hangar serves as the perfect place to tell the story of his fathers company Pitcairn Aviation and stands as a grand location to display the other aircraft he has donated to EAA over the years the PA-39 Autoshygiro the PA-7 Sport Mailwing and Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Chamshypion He also made possible the resshytoration of the 1928 Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1 Autogiro donating the hisshytoric rotorcraft to the National Air and Space Museums collection Preshyferring to keep his philanthropy quiet Pitcairn donated to many mushyseums and he gave freely of his reshysources to preserve the history of aviation making his contributions with little or no fanfare
DECEMBER 2009 4
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
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Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Scouring the nation for at least one example of the Pitcairn Mailwing series of biplanes was one of Pitcairns passions Here he pilots the PA-8M Super Mailwing (right) with the PA-6 Super Mailwing along the shore of Lake Winnebago in 1997
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background As a young man Steve (right) spent some time working for the successor to Pitcairn Aviations airmail operations Eastern Air Lines
Stephen Pitcairn the son of the aviation entrepreneur Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aircraft preserved
his fathers legacy by restoring Pitshycairn aircraft and donating to many aircraft endeavors He had a deep love for aviation and attained his pilot certificate around 1940
Because of the effects of a childshyhood illness Stephen Pitcairn was rejected from military service but he was able to fly with the Civil Air Patrol along the East Coast of the United States searching for enemy submarines For a short time he flew DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines In the 1950s he was denied his FAA medshyical certificate During this time he put his energies toward antique cars When he finally got his medical cershytificate back in the 1970s he began buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft
Stephen Pitcairn served EAA as a member of the EAA Foundation board of directors from 1982 through 1990 After the restoration of EAAs Ford Tri-Motor was completed he made possible the construction of EAAs Pitcairn Hangar on Pioneer Airshyport The hangar serves as the perfect place to tell the story of his fathers company Pitcairn Aviation and stands as a grand location to display the other aircraft he has donated to EAA over the years the PA-39 Autoshygiro the PA-7 Sport Mailwing and Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Chamshypion He also made possible the resshytoration of the 1928 Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1 Autogiro donating the hisshytoric rotorcraft to the National Air and Space Museums collection Preshyferring to keep his philanthropy quiet Pitcairn donated to many mushyseums and he gave freely of his reshysources to preserve the history of aviation making his contributions with little or no fanfare
DECEMBER 2009 4
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
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Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects Mike Posey (left) of posey Brothers Aviation as they assembled the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before it was flown for the last time and placed on display at the EM AirVenture Museum
Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M Super Mailwing in the background After regaining hmiddot~FA--~~--J c IS A medical certifishy
ate Steve and his Mail regular attende wings became East and Mmiddotd es to many flY-inS in the
I west
Mike Posey his niece Kelly Posey and Steve Pitcairn Steve was no stranger to the Posey Brothers shop in Robbinsshy All the aircraft restored under his guidance ville New Jersey since he actually owned the shop buildshy were enjoyable projects and the restoration ing and he was an active participant when Mike restored a of the PCA-2 Autogiro by George Townson and PA-7 PA-6 PA-7S and PA-8 Mailwings plus the first producshy Steve seemed to be particularly pleasurable tion Pitcairn Autogiro the PCA-1 currently on display at the Here he ~repares the cockpit as he readies American Helicopter Museum in Brandywine Pennsylvania the Autogiro for one of its last flights
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
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SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
It was a fairly short hop from Antiquers Aerodrome in Delshyray Beach to Sun n Fun for Richard Preiser and his Stinshyson but it was a decades-inshy
the-making journey for them to arrive there together Richard was just a teenager when he started learning to fly in 1969 He soloed at Pompano Beach but wasnt makshying much money at the time and couldnt afford to continue lessons So when he went into the Air Force he flew with its aero club and earned his private certificate just three days before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam as a weapons mechanic loading bombs in airplanes
After returning to the States he bought two Corvettes married and
6 DECEMBER 2009
started a family Being dO-it-yourshyseifers at heart he and his wife Peggy decided to go into their own printing business The sale of the Corvettes funded that venture and just as soon as the business was profitable Peggy suggested he buy back one of the Corvettes Instead he decided to pick up flying again and bought a Piper Arrow-and later a Cessna 150 for his son
Years later he was bitten by the vintage bug after he struck up a friendship with fellow Floridian Kevin Proodian who had been flyshying radio-controlled airplanes with Richard s son Brian When Kevin bought a Stinson 108-3 he freshyquently flew it over to Antiquers Aerodrome to visit the Preisers Beshy
1947 ad
ing around that Stinson was all it took-Richard was hooked I told my son that I was going to trade the Cessna 150 for a Stinson he said chuckling Brian is now a captain on Colgan flying for Continental
Kevin an airline pilot who is also a certificated flight instructor and an airframe and powerplant (AampP) mechanic loves flying classhysic tailwheel airplanes He goodshynaturedly steered Richard away from buying an early-model Stinshyson 108 that hadnt flown in 20shy
odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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odd years telling him If it hasnt run in that long youre going to spend something like four times the purchase price to get it in flying condition If you want a pristine airshyplane lets look around for one Just a couple of weeks later NC6364M showed up on Barnstormers [webshysite] It was an Oshkosh 2006 Classhysic Reserve Grand Champion and I told him it would be a good airshyplane Richard called owner and restorer Gene Pete Engelskirger of Hinckley Ohio in early 2007 and
after a brief conversation he sent Gene a deposit for the Stinson sight unseen-and then asked Peggy for permission to buy it
Flying Station Wagon All told more than 5000 of the
Stinson 108 series were manufacshytured According to FAA Aircraft Specification No A-767 the Model 108-3 was similar to the 108-2 with the exception of larger fuel tanks structural changes for increased gross weight revised vertical tail surfaces and a controllable rudder trim tab [which replaced the] rudshyder bungee
In 1947 a utility version of the Model 108 Voyager was introduced and its attributes were marketed in
this manner New Americas first personalcargo plane See the new Stinson Flying Station Wagon Reshyinforced 24-cu-ft cargo compartshyment in 2-tone plywood paneling equipped with tie-down straps A side-loading baggage compartment offers an additional 11 cu ft of carshyrying space Carries pilot and 600 cargo pounds or pilot one passhysenger and 500 cargo pounds Two rear seats can be replaced in 5 minshyutes time Ideal utility plane for ranchers farmers sportsmen and flying businessmen
Powered by a 165-hp Frankshylin 6A4-165-B3 the Flying Station Wagon measures 25 feet 2 inches from nose to tail has a wingspan of 33 feet 11 inches and reaches
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
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ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
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KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
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TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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a height of 7 feet 6 inches in level attitude It weighs 1320 pounds empty and has a useful load of 1080 pounds Its maximum strucshytural cruising speed is 126 mph with a cruise speed around 108 mph-just right to enjoy some fresh air from its sliding windows With a SO-gallon fuel capacity (a 25-gallon tank in each wing) and a 10-gph fuel burn it offers a range of around 540 miles
If you look carefully at the Stinshysons wings youll notice slots in the leading edges which increase the airflow over the ailerons at high angles of attack thereby providing greater stability and control And the slightly offset vertical stabilizer (for the 1948 model) helps countershyact the torque of the 165-hp Franklin engine Slotted wing flaps enhance takeoff performance and landings were cushioned by the cantilever gears oleo-spring shock absorbers The Model 108-3 Flying Station Wagon sold for $6484 in 1948 acshycording to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (US Civil Aircraft Vol 8)
Touted as being roomy and soundproofed with quick takeoffs and slow landings Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation furshyther enticed its targeted share of the market by advertiSing that beshyginners can solo this spin-resistant Stinson in only about eight hours flying time and thereby offered a special flight plan for business and professional men your Stinshyson dealer will teach you to fly free-up to and including solo It was a winning campaign apparshyently since another company ad proclaimed that Stinson has become Americas biggest-selling 4-place personal plane-especially with over-40 owners who fly for business and pleasure
NC6364M Manufactured by Consolidated
Vultee Aircraft Corporation-Stinshyson Division in Wayne Michigan in April 1948 it took nearly two years for this particular Flying Stashytion Wagon to arrive in the hands
DECEMBER 2009
Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and Richard Preiser-these longtime friends are both aficionados of Stinson 108-3s
of its first owner Later while Richshyard was focused on his family and printing business NC6364M was doing touch-and-goes between varshyious owners from Nebraska to Florshyida and then on to Ohio where it languished for a number of years
Gene Engelskirger who restored the airplane wrote this about NC6364M [It had] been around the Cleveland area since 1972 and was tied down next to my first resshytoration at Columbia Station airshyport 34 years ago Bernie Ockuly bought the basket in 1987 and started the long process of bringshying her back to life Bernie got the RV bug and I picked up the project in 1995 It was going to be a quick one-to-two-year deal that was fishynally finished 11 years later
He also enumerated a few poshytentially controversial and intershyesting details derived from his restoration research
bull There are two holes on the unshyderside of the right gear leg The
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wou Id nt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecutive serial num b ers
-Richard Preiser
battery drain hose originally went through the empty hole and a sershyvice bulletin put it where it is now This was to eliminate acid on the gear leg paint
bull Franklins had red lettering on the rocker covers [But] not in the later production years according to [the late Charlie Hart] a former emshyployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors
bull A lot of Stinsons have cowling props on both sides [But] per the Stinson parts book they only had one on the right side for oil stick and cap access
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Scott 3-24 BS tail wheel item 202 (a) which was a 6-inch hard rubber unit It was replaced with a Scott 3200 item 202 (c) in July of 1950
bull The aircraft was delivered with a Sensenich wood propeller In July of 1950 a metal McCauley was installed
Karl Engelskirger helped his fashyther with the restoration and he shared some information about
8
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Left Stinson 4-The interior and panel of NC6364M
Below left and above Close-up views of panel
what is perhaps the Stinsons most unusual original feashyture-the low-frequency anshytenna for shortwave radio It stretches from the top of the fuselage to each wingtip and the tail and surprisingly its presence isnt discernable in flight The radio antenna inshystallation was a joy recalled Karl as he smiled That airshyplane was untouched from the time it left the factory it had the original panel radios and interior The only thing missshying was the antenna and a
gentleman in California who was parting out several Stinshysons had one that still had the latches on the position lights Then the only thing we were missing was the ceramic insushylator that goes on the tail and I found one from another Stinshyson so we were able to piece the whole thing together
To keep the panel looking as original as possible Gene and Karl mounted a small sliding tray behind the old Hallicraftshyers shortwave radio This rashydio can be removed thereby allowing easy access to the new radio which is mounted on the tray To make the airshyplane practical for crossshycountry flying in present-day airspace updated avionics
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
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You dont need to
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CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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The aileron hinge fairings are made of cast aluminum Baggage capacity in this compartment is 100 pounds
and other items include an AmerishyKing AK-350 encoder a Bendix King KT 76A transponder and a Whelen A650 navigationstrobe light system (in place of the origishynal Grimes navigation lights) A four-place Flightcom 403mc intershycom was installed along with an Ameri-King AK-450 emergency loshycator transmitter and a Bendix King KLX 135A GPScomm
According to Karl the Stinson had been tied down outside for many years and corrosion had beshygun in the wing spars That was difficult to deal with he said beshycause the stamped ribs and alushy
10 DECEMBER 2009
minum spars are riveted together making it hard to replace the spars But we finally got that cleaned up The fuselage and wings were covshyered with the Poly-Fiber system and the entire airplane was painted with Aerothane
Current Caretaker Thirty-eight years after Richard
first started taking flying lessons and 59 years after NC6364M was manufactured the time had finally arrived for the two to become acshyquainted and begin their journey together Richard and Kevin travshyeled via airline to Ohio to pick up
the Stinson and fly it together to Florida It was a memorable occashysion-especially since their return cross-country was encumbered first by low ceilings and then as they flew farther south by very thick smoke from intense forest fires in southern Georgia
But they made it successfully and back in Florida Kevin gladly stepped into his flight instructor role to help Richard learn how to fly the tailwheel airplane as well as the nuances of coaxing the very best performance out of the Flying Station Wagon Reshycalling those lessons with a chuckle Richard said It took a while to
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
make the transition from tricycle to tailwheel and Kevin actually made a pOint to go flying on windy days beshycause Antiquers has trees on one side and a tower on another side so you really have to know how to handle the airplane
The aircraft is very forgiving said Kevin adding I tell people it is like a four-place Piper Cub-the same wing planform a Hershey bar with round wingtips The takeoff and landing speed is 80 mph and it stalls at 614 mph with flaps down Its a very honshyest airplane and very affordable
Richards delight in flying his Wagon is obvious as well as his dedishycation to keeping the airplane in topshynotch condition Since hes owned it it has been awarded the 2008 Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and 2009 Outstanding Classic Aircraft (9145-123155) at Sun n Fun
All in the Details There are numerous fine details
that make NC6364Ms restoration an award winner-and since a casual observer may not even be aware of some of these items Kevin shared his knowledge about them Everything is original to this airplane minus the Cleveland wheels and brakes he exshyplained They came from the factory with Goodrich brakes This airplane has the original-type split windshield paint scheme and polished alumishynum trim The headliner is complete with the original dome light and eleshyvatorrudder trim controls The 108-3 was available in two colors-the Stinshyson Maroon or Blue only with Diana Cream trim The fabric and upholshystery were beautifully done [by Paul Workman of Ohio] and are correct for this model and so are the mahogshyany veneer panels
If you stand underneath the wing and gaze up at the ailerons youll notice some rather large streamshylined covers for the aileron hinges They are cast aluminum fairings composed of two halves which are joined by two screws-and its not often youll see these anymore The inspection plate covers are also origshyinal according to Kevin who exshy
plained that they are different from most because they have two fastener strips on the back side and four small raised vents on the front
Richard humbly confesses that afshyter he bought NC6364M and began thoroughly observing all of its deshytails I told Gene that I didnt pay him enough for all the detailed work that was done on it-he is a super nice guy and he got a chuckle out of that I paid his price but lowe him z
UJ
money-you know what I mean To ~ laquo
see the work he did I know he didnt ~ UJ
make a dollar an hour ~ eli ~
Stinson Sister Ships ~ en
Throughout their lives the en
Preisers have worked hard for what ~ J
they have and they derive a deep shy
satisfaction from achieving their hands-on goals-whether its runshyning a successful business remodshyeling their home or their latest endeavor-restoring an airplane My wife and I took a six-room house and made it into a gorgeous mansion explained Richard smiling My wife and I painted it inside and out we did all the woodshyworking together and we bought 186 tons of bricks and made our own driveway That took about six months of laying the sand and shell rock foundation and then the brick with our own hands
So its just natural that Richard feels a bit uncomfortable accepting compliments for NC6364M Now he s determined to restore its sisshyter ship with his own hands and to that end hes keeping his handshysome Stinson hangared-and only flying it on nice days-so hell have a pristine example to go by for his own restoration
Top Its nice and clean under the cowl This 165-hp Franklin runs
strong but parts are hard to come by
Middle Close-up view of the controllable rudder trim tab
Bottom Close-up view of the antenna attachment tab
on the wingtip
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
About a month after I bought 64M I thought Wouldnt it be neat to have two airplanes with consecushytive serial numbers So I researched NC6363M and found that it crashed An 80-year-old man called me from Ohio and confirmed that information-he was there when it went into the trees So then I looked for NC6365M and I found it in San Marcos Texas I e-mailed the owner and found out everything was for sale The project was in bad shape and wasnt complete-so I had to sleep on it and think about whether
12 DECEMBER 2009
Close-up view of the inspection plates
I really wanted to buy it and reshystore it It was missing a lot of parts and some were damaged and misshymatched But I decided to go ahead with it declared Richard with an optimistic tone of determination and I bought a third Stinson from California just for parts Ive never restored an airplane and I want to do everything on it I can and I have an AampP who is guiding me through the project
Richard is making steady progshyress on his project To date he has had all of the instruments for
NC6365M overhauled by Keystone hes completed the interior woodshywork and hes started working on the wiring system and the fuseshylage He hopes to finish this Stinshyson in three or four years if all goes smoothly And when he does its likely that the two virtually idenshytical Stinson sister ships will comshypose quite an eye-catching display on the flightline in their deep rich maroon paint scheme And Richard will no doubt finally feel comfortshyable accepting compliments for his own restoration ~
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying by Jeff Jeffares
Patrons enjoying the cuisine in the Barnstormers Grill
A 1928 Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns past a field of gently on the long grass runway at colorful vintage airplanes sunshyPeach State Aerodrome as a 1929 light glinting from its polished Curtiss Robins Wright )6-5 coughs hand-spun spinner The stately bishyto life and prepares for takeoff The plane winds its way toward a large
1930s-style hangar where an amishyable crowd of folks has gathered Children are leaning over a wooden picket fence waving at all the pishylots and antique autos tractors and even a horse-drawn carriage line the parking lot Inside meloshydious notes from a player piano entwine with the hunger-stirring aroma of freshly baked pies straight from the ovens of the Barnstormshyers Grill where a virtual smorshygasbord ranging from salads and sandwiches to seafood and filet mishygnon is served Laughter and chatshyter resound through the eatery spilling out onto the patio as locals and visitors alike join in the fun of reliving the era of early aviation here in rural Williamson just 30 miles south of Atlanta in the heart of Georgia
The museum is currently housed in this new building which resembles the original American Airways Hangar at Candler Field
14 DECEMBER 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
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great airplanes
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CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
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Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Looking Back Back in 1909 a businessman
by the name of Asa Griggs Can shydler (who owned the Coca-Cola Company at the time) opened a new racetrack near Hapeville Georgia Situated in a wide-open field it was also the perfect locashytion for aerial exhibitions which were held there in 1910 and 1911 Eventually more attention was foshycused on the practical aspects of aviation and another gentleman from the local area James H Elshyliott decided to lease the racetrack and prep some additional acreage for airplane use Elliott opened his flying business there in 1919 and sold the field in 1923 The following year a couple of local aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler Blevins-began prevailing upon Atlantas mayor Bill Hartsfield to recognize the business value of avishyation Davis established his own flying circus and he and Blevins each built their own hangars at Candler Field thereby establishshying a base of operations for their separate flying businesses And fishynally in 1925 Mayor Hartsfield acknowledged that Candler Field was indeed a good location for Atshylanta s airport Four years later the city purchased the airfield which eventually evolved into todays Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Internashytional Airport
Candler Field Museum Ron Alexander is the man beshy
hind Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum A retired
Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle and easygoing personality he is also a highly driven entrepreneur Hes established numerous successshyful aviation businesses (see sidebar) yet he wanted to realize at least one other ambitious dream-building an antique airplane museum that
The overall objective
is for you to walk into
this museum and feel
like youre stepping
back into that era
e also want people to
enjoy riding in an old
car in a horse-drawn
carriage and flying in
an old airplane
- Ron Alexande
would be just a bit unusual For one he wanted to pay tribute to a particular era of aviation and hisshytory-that being the late 1920s and early 1930s-in an operating mushyseum And that essential thread of
a living museum was necessary to create the tangible tapestry of time he desired With that in mind some of the things we have are not going to be pristine or award-winning airplanes or cars but theyre going to be functionaV Alexander explained The overshyall objective is for you to walk into this museum and feel like youre stepping back into that era We also want people to enjoy riding in an old car in a horse-drawn carriage and flying in an old airplaneJ
Another key thread that adds depth and texture to this tapestry is Alexanders belief that to make this kind of museum work youve got to have other than aviation people come out and support it You need to include those who are involved in antique automobiles tractors and even vintage clothshying-and just include everything involved in that era
Since Atlanta is his home base he decided that preserving its rich local history would be ideal He knew that Davis a 1920s aviator was from the local area and had built the first hangar on Candler Field So I thought that a logical thing to do would be to develop Candler Field as it existed in the late 1920s and early 1930s he said and focus on that
That idea blossomed into a mulshytifaceted project Alexander reshysearched the history of Candler Field and found some photographs of what it looked like in the early 1930s Then he started looking for an existing airport that could
Relaxing on the observation deck and patio
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
1939 DC-3A antique autos and a Davis airplane Birds-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss Robin
Candler f ield -tuseum
Concept drawing of the Candler Field Museum complex
physically accommodate a variety of hangars and buildings Peach State Airport as it has been called has been here since 1966 he exshyplained and I finally discovered that the 100 acres adjacent to it was for sale at a fairly reasonable price So I decided to purchase the entire package and develop a porshytion of it as Peach State Airpark to help pay for the runway We didnt have an architect put it together I just visualized it in my mind and then we started working to make that vision reality
The museum which opened in September 2008 is currently housed in a new building that resembles the original American Airways Hangar complete with observation deck restoration workshop restaurant and banshyquet facilities An aviation reshysearch library named in honor of Jack Barbery will soon be open to the public Much in the museum has been donated by Jack Barbery who is a retired Pan Am flight enshy
16 DECEMBER 2009
gineer said Alexander He has collected antique aviation memshyorabilia and old airplanes too Hes donated two KR-34 biplanes which will be restored and an OX-S Robin which is currently undergoing restoration We have a mechanic who works with volshyunteers to help restore and mainshytain the museum airplanes
As a work in progress the mushyseum will continue to evolve and the next building slated for conshystruction is the old Eastern Air Transport Hangar It will be large enough to house the grand old lady of the airlines-the DC-3 A bed and breakfast for the aeroshydrome along with apartments for seniors are also part of the overshyall plan as well as a hotel and larger banquet facility in the guise of the original Candler Field artshydeco-style terminal building Two smaller hangars will pay tribute to aviators Davis and Blevins and will also house a variety of 1920s and 1930s artifacts
Rotating Exhibits Just as a shuttle carries new
threads back and forth to weave fabric Alexander plans to breathe vitality into the museums tangishyble tapestry by continually rotatshying the exhibits of airplanes autos and tractors So at any given time visitors will hopefully be able to see something they havent yet seenshyand perhaps even be able to go for a ride or flight in it What we try to do is get people to put airplanes on loan to us for a while explained Alexander and rotate them in and out For example we had a guy with an Aeronca Champ here for a while and the Curtiss Robin is owned by a local pilot [Richard Epshyton] who flies it on a regular basis
To date airplanes in the rotatshying exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss Robin a 1928 Waco CSO a 1928 C-3B Stearman a 1930 Stearman 6L Cloudboy a 1939 Douglas DCshy3A and a 1941 Stearman PT-17 Barberys OX-S Robin will join the others when its restoration is comshyplete as will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D which local craftsman Brian Karli is rebuilding
N28AA which has recently been christened the Candler FieLd Express DC-3A was originally delivered to Braniff Airways in 1939 After Braniff it went to Trans-Texas and its been in several different airshylines ending up in ProvincetownshyBoston Airlines A friend of mine ferried it up here from Tamiami Airport said Alexander and at that time I owned Alexander Aeroshyplane Company so myself and several employees restored the airshy
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
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EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
The Stearman C-3B Even though theyre on display inside each of the antique autos are operational
plane in 1991 Right now we use it for training and some promotional work but it doesnt fly more than about SO hours a year or so
Alexander acquired the Stearshyman C-3B about 10 years ago from antiquer friend Jim Friedline I had a PT-17 that was destroyed in a tornado and I traded Jim my busted-up airplane for the C-3B I flew it a couple of years and at the time I was one of the three ownshyers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings in California We had a restorashytion company that we had started out there at Flabob Airport reshycalled Alexander and a young man by the name of Brian Newshyman did a large bulk of the restoshyration on the airplane
Of the aircraft he has Alexanshyder treasures one in particular-not only because it handles very nicely but also because there werent many built Smiling he said The most unique and rare airplane I have is my square-tail 1931 Stearshyman Model 6L Cloudboy with a Lycoming 220 It was designed as a military trainer and they only made 10 of those airplanes which were later called YPT-9s My parshyticular airplane was called an XPTshy912 and it was the test airplane for the YPT-9s
A Gathering Place Today the airstrip Candler
Field Museum and Peach State Airpark are collectively known as Peach State Aerodrome The fledgshyling airpark has a separate gated entrance which offers residential privacy from the museum and
restaurant portion of the field Walking trails wind through the airpark and there are runway lots as well as a few lakefront lots onshysite Owners design their homes and hangars to be constructed with a Vintage-style exterior in keeping with Peach States overshyall theme
Yet the aerodrome is home to more than just the museum and airpark residents-its also headshyquarters for the Georgia chapter of the Antique Airplane Associashytion and EAA Chapter 468 The newly formed Georgia Cub Flyers have adopted Peach State as their home base as well they held their first fly-in here in August 2009 with nearly 30 Cubs and more than a hundred Cub aficionados attending Other groups also meet here-including the Flying Grifshyfins which is a radio-controlled model airplane club and shhhshythe Quiet Birdmen
But thats not all Since Alexshyanders vision encompasses more than antique airplanes the local Georgians have also found a place to call home Many enjoy seeing the other antique conveyances in action which include a 1909 Sears automobile 1923 and 1925 Model Ts 1928 Model A Roadshyster 1929 Model A pickup truck 1933 Chevrolet Master sedan and a 1920 carriage And they also enshyjoy large gatherings there We have banquet facilities for up to 500 people and thats the local community that comes to the banquets explained Alexander who is pleased to welcome the
neighbors Weve had a couple of aviation events but weve also had a chorale chamber of comshymerce meetings and its mostly general events like that The loshycal community including the county commissioners has really embraced this museum Theyre very pleased to have us here and this is the very first museum in Pike County They think its great and we get real good support from them Ninety percent of the peoshyple who visit here are non-aviation people That means that more people are becoming familiar with grass strips and airplanes which helps foster a positive public pershyception of general aviation
Youre Invited A variety of special events are
held throughout the year at the museum and aviators as well as the general public are warmly welshycomed A first-time vintage weekshyend was held in September 2009 complete with visitors in period costume music provided by a mens chorale group and an 1899 calliope Well sell homemade ice cream thats been mixed usshying a hit-and-miss engine have a cake walk and a mime group and generally just have a good time shared Alexander and well get all the old cars out and fly the old airplanes-plus well have a horse and carriage for people to ride in This will be the first year weve had the vintage weekend
Other events include a visit for children from Santa Claus and
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Rn Alexander just cant imagine life
without flying When he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol at age 14 he took a ide in a C-119 Flying Boxcar and knew
he was meant to be a pilot He soon soloed an Aeronca Champ near his home in Bloomington Indiana and earned his flight instructor rating By the time he entered the Air Force in 1964 he
had already logged 800 hours His five years in the Air Force included one tour in Vietnam flying the C-7 Caribou
In 1969 he started flying for Delta Air Lines (based in Chicago) and eventually gave instruction and checkrides in the Boeing 737 before retiring in 2002 During those years he again became active in general aviation when he bought a J-3 Cub for $3000 in 1974 Unfortunately a summer storm got the best of the Cub just as he was relocating to Georgia Then I got real interested in restoring antique airplanes he said chuckling so I restored a Cub first and then a Stearman PT-17-and I discovered that we had a lot of difficulty getting airplane parts So in 1979 we started Alexander
Ron Alexander and his Stearman C-3B inside Candler Field Museum
Aeroplane Company out of our hangar at Cedar Ridge I also bought a Stits distributorship from a local person because Ray Stits wasnt sure he wanted me to be a distributor Then in 1992 I
bought Stits-I owned it outright myself for a few years Then I had a partner-Jon Goldenbaum who still manages Poly-Fibershyand we ended up merging Ceconite into it so there were three of us that owned it
He also started a technical center in Griffin Georgia during that time When
I owned Alexander Aeroplane I discovered that the best way to sell products was to teach people how to use them So we started a workshop program formally teaching people how to do fabric covering composite and sheet metal work welding and so forth Ultimately it became the SportAir Workshops and I sold it to EAA And in 1996 I sold Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce
His recent endeavors include his composite repair company Atlanta Aerospace Composites which he started in 2002 Today the company repairs corporate and regional jet radomes in addition to doing sheet metal and composite work on regional jets Alexander also has interest in a couple of other companies though he didnt start them He owns a major part of the Accessory Overhaul Group which is an overhaul facility for regional jets and a separate machine shop
When asked if he ever feels overwhelmed he laughed gently and replied Most of the time Then he explained his secret Well actually you know what has made it work are the people I hire
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
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OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
I guess my thing in life if I have to
have a thing is to start something and then once I get it up and running let somebody else have it Reflecting for a moment he laughed again and commented Sometimes its not all successful I enjoy taking risks its partly the challenge and its also because I enjoy creating something from nothing What makes it possible is the people who work for me I hire my people based entirely on their attitudes-not their resumes at all I want to know them spend some time with them and I want them to have good positive attitudes We do build every single business based on customer service
Alexanders primary passion above all else is simply flying Smiling and laughing wholeheartedly he declared Its my life You know I dont know what Id do if I couldnt fly To me theres nothing better than taking one of these biplanes out and flying it in the evening or early morning-I mean thats the greatest thing in the world I clear my mind by doing that I have 24000 hours of flying time and I still enjoy it Flying is very important and I love these old airplanes-I just like that era of time To me the 1920s were a fascinating time and I enjoy studying it and learning more about it-and doing things to help re-create it
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
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OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
terprise that started with a dream and grew as a result of perseverance dedishy
cation and patience In his youth John was a typical
boy riding his bicycle to a grassshystrip airport and hanging on the fence dreaming about the day he could fly He fulfilled that dream by working as a line boy at Valley Airshyways in York Pennsylvania
His dream didnt come easy as he earned just 65 cents an hour 20 DECEMBER 2009
The story of Aircraft By Shue BY DICK CRENSHAW
and his dual-instruction lessons cost $6 an hour That meant 10 hours of work to pay for one hour of dual flight instruction It seems that the 10-to-l ratio is still with us today Working for $13 an hour to pay for flight instruction at $130 an hour seems quite commonplace the aspiring aviators of today seem to have the same challenges we had 60 years ago Sixty-five cents at a time John kept adding to his logged time and he soloed in 1947
Prior to the formation of Aircraft By Shue and his dedication to Waco aircraft John restored several aircraft
with his brother Charlie and other family members His aircraft projects included a Taylorcraft BC-12 Ercoupe Piper Tri-Pacer Piper 180 Comanche Piper Clipper and Aeronca K
John was not the only Shue bitshyten by the aircraft restoration bug His brother Charlie restored an L-2 Taylorcraft to military specifishycations and a 1929 Kreider Riesner KR-31 (NCI0054) to flying condishytion The KR-31 is powered by an OX-5 engine and is now part of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown Maryland Hagershystown was the home of Fairchild
Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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Left Prior to being covered this is the completed structure of AI Shimers UMF-5
The interest in Waco airplanes beshygan in 1964 when John purchased his UPF-7 basket case He was still working at AMP at this time and the restoration became a seven-year part-time weekends and nights projshyect In May of 1971 the plane flew for the first time since 1946
Grand Champion at the National Biplane Association Expo in 2007 and Reserve Grand Champion in 2003 2005 and 2006 It was Best In Class-Waco open cockpit at the AAA National Fly-In in Blakesburg Iowa in 20042005 and 2007 Also listed were five other awards reshy
Johns UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners The five airplanes so honored at the annual EAA fly-in are
Year Model N-Number Owner
1972 UPF-7 NC3016S John Shue
1986 UPF-7 NC32183 Dr Criss Kidder
2000 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
2000 UPF-7 NC29303 Dick Ash
2008 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
The awards were not limited to Osshyhkosh Jack Hills UPF-7 won best in show at the Burlington North Caroshylina fly-in and was also Grand Chamshypion at the 2009 Sun n Fun Fly-In
All of the above aircraft were based on the East Coast at the time they were displayed at the EAA Fly-In in Oshkosh That had me wondering if there were any Shue-restored Wacos west of the Mississippi River receivshying recognition I contacted Gary Peshytersen in Walton Nebraska and got quite a surprising response
Garys UPF-7 NC39743 won
ceived in the Nebraska area To date the Shues have restored
10 Wacos and many of these airshycraft have been winners at regional air shows and fly-ins It is hard to keep track of the awards since many of these planes are not located in the Pennsylvania area
Scott learned the aircraft restorashytion trade by working with his fashyther By the time they reached Loel Crawfords UPF-7 (NC32084) he was pretty much the lead man Scott has restored and completed the last three winning aircraft on his own
Aircraft and Kreider Riesner was a subsidiary of Fairchild Charlie was also heavily involved in recovering one of the more unique airplanes to come through the Shue shop It was a 1937 VPF-7 Waco owned by Al Shimer This aircraft was one of six VPF-7s shipped to the Guateshymalan Army Air Corps in 1937 It is powered by a 240-hp W-670 Conshytinental engine and is presently on loan to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum
John retired from his electrical engineer position with AMP Incorshyporated in 1987 His son Scott left the company in 1990 however at his young age it was a career change rather than a retirement Together they formed Aircraft by Shue
One of only four built and the last one to survive this is a 1935 8-17E 8eechcraft Staggerwing serial number 49 John Shue spent a considershyable amount of time restoring the cabin biplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues this is NC29996 a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia
John Shues UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming an acknowledged expert on the aircraft was first restored in 1972 The father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time
with technical advice and final asshysembly help from his father Scott is known as Mr Detail Wings in addition to complete restoration projects are his particular specialty
A complete restoration means all new wood Scott will cut and shape new spars from Sitka spruce build new ribs tip bows wing walks etc and assemble new wings from scratch All formers and stringers in the fuselage reshyceive the same expert attention
He replaces all sheet metal parts that are not in perfect condition with new metal fabrications He reshystores and re-upholsters cockpits
Scott rebuilds and reinstalls origshyinal engine and flight instruments to maintain the authenticity of the
22 DECEMBER 2009
aircraft To keep the FAA happy the emergency locator transmitter is there but not in plain view-anshyother effort to keep the airplanes appearance as original as possible
When you see a finished Waco coming out of the Shue shop you cant help but marvel at the beaushytiful finish and attention to detail The fabric surfaces appear to be painted with a modern-day finish however they are hand rubbed and polished dope
The UPF-7s are not the only Waco models that have been restored Just recently Scott finished a 1930 Waco RNF NC859V for Joe Kaminshyskas The first fly-in for Joe was May 2009 at Horn Point Maryland He received both the AAA Presidents
John retired from
his electrical
engineer position
with AMP
Incorporated in
1987 His son Scott
left the company
in 1990 however
at his young age
it was a career
change rather
than a retirement
Award and PAAS Antique Grand Champion award Since originally writing this article EAA AirVenture 2009 has come and gone Joe and his RNF won the Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation Antique Grand Champion award which left him extremely proud but also humbled when he realized he had competed and won against some of the best restorations in the country (See a video of Kashyminskas RNF at wwwAirVentureorg videos Click on the AirVenture tab and youll see the video)
Congratulations Joe and to Scott Shue and his dad
Scott and his father are presshyently restoring a 1935 UMF-5 for Al Shimer John has rewired the aircraft and fabricated engine baffles and the
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Jack Hills Waco UPF-7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott Shue the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful Waco restoration in recent memory
Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings These are just a few of the wings hes built for Waco restorations
exhaust system He is also restoring the two cockpit interiors including the rebuilt engine and flight instrushyments In addition he is fabricating sheet metal panels and the bump cowl which is a major undertaking
Scott has built a complete set of new wings The next step will be covering the entire aircraft and the finishing process of doping and sanding doping and sanding unshytil the desired result is obtained This aircraft is powered by a 210-hp Continental R-670 engine
Complete restorations are not the only thing happening at the shop They will build any wooden piece found in a Waco This inshy
cludes any individual piece or comshyplete assemblies such as wings vertical fins center sections fuseshylage formers and stringers John is also set up to repair and rebuild the UPF-7 landing gear
Now just because he s not the prime restorer in the shop now I dont want you to think John is out to pasture He has spent a great deal of time restoring a 1935 B-17E Beechcraft Staggerwing serial numshyber 49 There were only four of this model built by Beech and this is the only survivor Two have been destroyed and the third was conshyverted to a B-17R
Unlike most Staggerwings flyshy
ing today this aircraft is powered by a W-760-2 Wright engine not the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney This aircraft passed through a series of owners who had hoped to restore it but for the most part it remained in storage until it came to the Shue shop in 1986
The frame-up restoration was accomplished using new wood throughout the aircraft One of the Shues hard and fast rules is that they never use or repair old wood it has to be new A new mohair interior has been installed along with a complete panel of restored instruments from that time period The instrument panel is a thing of beauty unto itself All aluminum sheet metal parts have been newly fabricated using the original pieces when available as patterns
Presently John is again restorshying his personal UPF-7 the aircraft that started it all back in 1964 It has been close to 40 years since its original restoration was completed and John felt it was time
In addition to his Waco project he is restoring a J-3 Cub for an old friend Bob Bittner If this was not enough there is a second]-3 Johns personal plane which is about halfshyway to completion
John also spends a great deal of time on the telephone helping out fellow Waco owners with technishycal information and personal adshyvice based on his experience in the restoration business He is always ready to help anyone with aircraft problems or questions
For those of you who do not know John Shue he is an aviation romantic Some might even call him an aviation maniac In either case John is an aviation enthusiast of the first order If you ever have the opportunity to visit his shop in Emigsville Pennsylvania I am sure he will gladly show you his library complete with a stamped metal cathedral ceiling and a spiral staircase Its located on the second floor It contains more than 2500 volumes of aviation literature and history including a complete set of Ernest Ganns books
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
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CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Light Plane Heritage PUBLISHED IN EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1957 MAY 1989
THE DORMOY BATH TUB
The Dormoy Bath Tub was one of the simplest and probably least expensive successful lightplanes ever built This airplane was deshysigned and built by Mr Etienne Dormoy then of the Engineering Division of the Air Service at McshyCook Field near Dayton Ohio It was flown in the lightplane events at the 1924 and 1925 National Air Races by Mr Dormoy in competishytion with the Driggs Dart Powell Racer and Mummert Sportplane The m ain purpose of the design was to obtain a practical lightshyplane with the utmost in simplicshyity and economy of construction As can be seen from the drawings and photographs the fuselage of the original airplane consisted of a small nacelle in which the pilot and en gine occupied nearly all available space The tail surfaces were supported on three steel-
BY J ACK M cRAE EAA 93
tube longerons with diagonal wire the winds h ield The nacelle was bracing The cockpit space was of steel-tube three-Iongeron conshyvery small and for the 1924 Races struction with sheet aluminum the tachometer was mounted in covering The tail surfaces were of
Harry Thompsons modified Bath Tub powered by a Franklin engine was on the flightline at Oshkosh a number of years ago His control levers are what else old-style plumbing fixtures
Editors Note The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this seshyries we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members Enjoy-HGF
24 DECEMBER 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
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steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
Norma and the folks at AUA Insurance are
friendly helpful and most importantly they
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
This Is the Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when It was Introduced by Etienne Dormoy in 1924 Power was a Henderson four-cycle motorcycle engine
EM ARCHIVES
steel tubing covered with fabric The wing was of conventional
two-spar wood and fabric construcshytion The wing bracing was unusual in that the lift truss consisted of a single steel tube on each side with two additional flying wires per side to resist the torsional loads The lift struts and center-section struts were round tubes with balsa fairshying The fuel tank was mounted in the wing section The aileron conshy
trol system was unconventional in that the aileron balance cable went forward from the aileron horn to the top of the wing where it entered a small curved tube that guided the cable outside the wing to the leading edge of the wing The cable then continued inboard along the outside of the leading edge through several fair leads to a turnbuckle located at the centershyline of the airplane
The landing gear consisted of a hinged-axle member and a comshypression strut on each side with rubber-cord shock absorbers Drag loads were taken by two struts on each side running fore and aft from the axle to the single lower longeshyron of the nacelle
The engine was a converted fourshycylinder Henderson motorcycle engine that developed about 20 hp at 2300 rpm An air scoop was mounted on the left-hand side to provide better cooling of the cylshyinder heads This engine installashytion proved to be very reliable at the 1924 National Air Races where the Bath Tub competed in all three lightplane races and won the Rickshyenbacker Trophy Race of 140 miles at an average speed of 70 mph and with a fuel consumption of 40 miles per gallon The ship finished second and third respectively in the other two lightplane races
The Bath Tub had a gross weight of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85 square feet The light wing loading of 5 pounds per square foot made the little ship difficult to fly in rough air The wing span was 24 feet and the length was 13 feet 5 inches
After the success at the 1924 National Races Mr Dormoy redeshysigned the fuselage for better pershyformance at the 1925 Races The tail booms were done away with and the fuselage was extended aft in a more conventional arrangeshyment Jury struts were also added to stabilize the long lift struts However even with these imshyprovements the performance in 1925 was not enough to match the speed of the Powell Racer which was the winner
Mr Dormoy later became asshysociated with the Buhl Aircraft Company in Michigan and in 1931 he designed the Buhl Bull Pup lightplane some of which are still in service
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
EAA EXIpoundRIIpoundNTER
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Ray Lemmons Stinson 108
Oor back cover photo and the photos you see on these pages were sent to us by member Ray Lemshy
mon EAA 42686 VAA 717946 of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Ray is a longtime EAAer and reshytired United Airlines captain with a number of airplane projects to his credit including a Piper Super Cruiser which he rebuilt in 1973shy74 and a Beechcraft D-17 Stagshygerwing which he flew for more than nine years back in the 1960s and 70s
This particular project a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Voyager NC6183M serial number 4183 out of more than 5000 built was manufacshytured by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Company at its Wayne Michigan factory The airplane was owned by Sherman Oxford for many years until it was sold to Bob Coates in 2001 Unfortushynately it was involved in a wreck on its second test flight after a
26 DECEMBER 2009
I
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
Above A quick run down the snow-covered runway shows the Stinson is ready for flight when the weather breaks
It was a beautiful winter day with the snow falling in big flakes when the Stinson had to be rolled out to be repositioned when rearranging the airshyplanes in the hangar at Old School Aviation Mechanic Christopher Cumshymings snapped the shots at Van Sant Airport near Erwinna Pennsylvania
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
The post-World War II peshyriod was a time of great opshytimism in general aviation and the advertising of the day often showed dapper ownerspilots using their new aerial station wagshyons to further their busishyness interests It was no coincidence that names such as the Sedan Stashy
tion Wagon Super Cruiser and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes
of the day The expectation that the airplane was expected to replace the car for many businessmen combined with the marketing that flying was nearly as easy as driving a car made great fodder for the advertisshying industry
restoration was comshypleted in 2004 a tragic accident that resulted in Coates later passing away due to his injuries
Ray Lemmon bought the airplane and beshygan work The damshyage to the airplane was confined mostly to the front of the fuselage reshyquiring weld repairs to the fuselage a new fireshywall and a new engine mount for the Franklin engine plus all of the sheet metal forward of the baggage door The right wing also required repairs as did the landshying gear
When the welding repairs were done and it came time to start adding parts instead of taking them off the airshy Two views of the Stinson showing the neat plane the Stinson was workmanship as it was being restored by Ray moved into his home Lemmon Now at the add the parts portion shop which from all of the restoration it would soon be moved to appearances has all the Old School Aviation for completion comforts of II u pstairs including a parquet wood floor Airport in Erwinna Pennsylvania and an easy chair They got started on the final leg
After three years of work at of the project on Valentine s Day home Lemmon decided that the 2008 While he could also work on project could be finished quicker if the project at Old School Lemmon he turned it over for completion to was able to see the work accelershyGeorge Taylors fixed base operator ate thanks to the efforts of the airshyOld School Aviation at Van Sant planes chief restorer Larry Stangil
A close-up view of the repaired section of the fuselage including the back of the instrument panel and cockpit controls The box on the left is the glovemap box while on the right the box has been converted to serve as a position for the radio The two vertishycal channels in the foreground are the mounts for the battery holder
Once the 108-3 was moved to Old School Aviation at Van Sant Airport covering work could be completed Here the tapes are having the edges set on the lower fuselage prior to final silver and finish coats
The beautiful etched-aluminum lower panel combined with the blue stand-off panel containing all the instruments makes for a lovely cockpit The Stinson had not been modified over the years making its restoration a bit easier to complete in that regard
Ray thinks so highly of Stangils effort that he had a special plaque honoring his work installed in the interior of the faithfully restored Station Wagon
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Chapter Locator and Info
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28 DECEMBER 2009
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OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
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Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
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Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Chapter Locator and Info
Visit the VAA chapter
nearest you and get to
know some great
old-airplane enthusiasts
You dont need to
be a pilot to join
in the fun just have
a love of the
great airplanes
of yesteryear
CALIFORNIA Hayward CA VM 29 Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm Hayward Airport Executive Hangar William Field President Phone 925-463-0589 E-mail wfteld49aolcom
CALIFORNIA Sacramento CA VM 25 Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am See chapter website for location David Magaw President Phone 916-488-0455 E-mail pittsjlyers1syahoocom
wwwVin25org
CAROLINAS VIRGINIA Walnut Cove NC VM 3 Meeting Contact President Susan Dusenbury President Phone 336-591-3931 E-mail sr6sueaolcom
FLORIDA Lakeland FL VM 1 Meeting Contact President Jon Baker President Phone 863-676-0426 E-mail airmanj5wmconnectcom Website httpsaacacom
ILLINOIS Lansing IL VM 26 Meeting Contact President Peter Bayer President Phone 630-922-3387 E- rna iI C18obayercomcastnet
INDIANA Auburn IN VM 37 Meeting 4th Wed 700 pm Auburn Airport Chapter Hangar Drew Hoffman President Phone 260-693-9747 E-mail drewhofmanvaa37org Website wwwVAA37org
KANSAS Overland Park KS VM 16 Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm Contact president for location Ronald Wright President Phone 913-451-1255 E-mail ronsharylwrightyahoocom
LOUISIANA New Iberia LA VM 30 Meeting 1st Sun 900 am LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison President Phone 337-365-3047 E-mail vaa30coxnet
28 DECEMBER 2009
Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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Its called rejuvenation and it works great with real dope finishes Spray our rejuvenator overaged dope it soaks in and restores flexibility for years of added life It can even hide hairline cracks And no finish
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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Albert Lea MN VAA 13 Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm Albert Lea Airport FBO Paul Stieler President Phone 507-377-2291 E-mail pstielersmignet
NEBRASKA Plattsmouth NE VAA 31 Meeting 1st Sat 1030 am Plattsmouth Airport Term Bldg William Kroeger President Phone 402-331-3887 E-mail pilotwillcoxnet
NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton NH VAA 15 Meeting 2nd Sat 1100 am Hampton Airfield John Maloney President Phone 603-580-2590 E-mail ejjmikcomcastnet
NEW JERSEY Andover NJ VAA 7 Meeting 1st Sun 1030 am Aeroflex-Andover Airport Joe Tapp President Phone 908-8]2-3821 E-mail joetappcomcastnet
OHIO Columbus OH VAA 38 Meeting 2nd Sun 100 pm Contact president for location Perry Chappano President Phone 614-496-3423 E-mail polestarameritechnet
OHIO Delaware OH VAA 27 Meeting 3rd Sat 900 am Delaware Municipal Airport Terminal Building Martin Mcintire President Phone 740-362-7228 E-mail wjmcintirecscom Website wwwEAAdlzorg
OHIO Troy OH VAA 36 Meeting Contact President Richard Amrhein President Phone 937-335-1444 E-mail dickandpattiaolcom
OKLAHOMA Tulsa OK VAA 10 Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm Hardesty South Regional Library Joe Champagne President Phone 918-257-4688 E-mail skypalgroveemailcom
TEXAS Spring TX VAA 2 Meeting 4th Sun 200 pm Dry Creek Airport Fred Ramin President Phone 281-444-5309 E-mail lredraminsbcglobalnet
WISCONSIN Brookfield WI VAA 11 Meeting 1st Mon 730 pm Capitol Drive Airport Office James Brown President Phone 262-895-6282 E-mail jb191owirrcom
Want to Start a VAA Chapter Its easy to start a VAA chapter All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or e-mail chapterseaaorg to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members and theyll walllt you through the process of starting a new chapter
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
BY ROBERT G LOCK
Fuel and oil systems
Our subject for this issue is fuel and oil systems So systems are similar to gravity feed but operate at a lets get started with some basics There are two types higher carburetor fuel inlet pressure This pressure is of fuel systems-I) gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted by an engine-driven vane-type fuel pump can be carbureted) and 2) injected (always pressure The pump pressure is adjustable I usually set the presshyfeed) Unless modified all older aircraft used a carbushy sure to the middle of the range of operation Most sysshyreted system There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi so I set the pressure sump and dry sump Most older aircraft used dry sump at 4 psi There must be an emergency backup pump systems because they were powered by radial engines which may be hand-operated (wobble) or electrically Dry sump systems carry the oil in driven When the pump is opshyan external tank while wet sump erated it should not raise fuel systems carry the oil in the main pressure above the maximum alshycrankcase of the engine lowed There will be a bourdonshyGravity feed
type fuel gauge to indicate fuel GRAVITY FEED FUEL SYSshy flow pressure Gauge pressurecarburetors will not workTEMS Gravity feed fuel systems should be taken at the inlet to
are the most common among the carburetor older aircraft They are simple in on pressure Now lets start at the top of the operation and require no engineshy system and work down driven or auxiliary fuel pump feed systemsGravity feed systems operate at FUEL TANK Originally made a very low carburetor inlet presshy from Terneplate and soft-solderedand pressure feed sure generally 05-10 psi The together these tanks were heavy pressure depends on the height when compared with aluminumcarbs wont work onof the fuel tank above the carshy Terneplate is thin steel sheet buretor inlet 39 inches will give coated with lead for corrosion the system 10 psi of positive fuel gravity feed systems protection Because these materishypressure Therefore no engineshy als are weldable it is common to driven fuel pump is necessary remanufacture tanks using alumishyPressure feed systems use an en- num alloys 3003 or 5052 Tanks gine-driven pump with an auxiliary hand (wobble) have internal baffles for structural support and to keep or electrically driven pump These systems normally fuel from sloshing around in the tank Tanks are conshyoperate at a pressure of 3-5 psi Therefore fuel flow is structed to withstand an internal pressure of 3 psi greater in a pressure feed system over a gravity feed sysshy Tanks have sumps to drain water and sediment from tem It is important to note that gravity feed carbushy the lowest portion of the tank They are vented to the retors w ill not work on pressure feed systems atmosphere if two tanks are interconnected their vent and pressure feed carbs wont work on gravity lines are also interconnected feed syst em s
FUEL STRAINER Usually mounted on the forshyPRESSURE FEED FUEL SYSTEMS Pressure feed ward side of the firewall (but some were mounted in
30 DECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
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Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
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Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
the rear cockpit) the gascolatorlstrainer will remove sediment before it enters the carburetor There is a means to drain water condensation from the unit It mayor may not be the lowest point in the system The correct nomenclature for this unit is gascolator
SHUT-OFFSELECTOR VALVE Located on the aft side of the firewall the fuel valve directs and shuts off fuel to the carburetor The valve should be plainly marked to show fuel quantity in each tank and the pointer should show from which tank the engine is drawing The valve must positively shut off the fuel There must be positive detents in the valve so the valve feels as though it snaps into place Remove the fuel line to the carburetor and ensure there is no flow of fuel with the valve in the off pOSition If automoshytive fuel is used check the inside diameter of the flexshyible hose from the gascolator to the carburetor I use a 38-inch or l2-inch wood dowel rounded on one end to accomplish this task Because of additives to the gasoline automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible lines This check should be done at each annual inspecshytion Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel starvation to the engine with disastrous results
CARBURETOR Often overlooked during restorashytion is the type of carburetor to be installed Gravity systems use a carburetor capable of operation at low fuel pressures Gravity systems often work at fuel presshysures up to 10 psi The carburetor overhaul manual will tell you which part-numbered carburetors are gravity feed and which are pressure feed As the fuel enters the carburetor it is again strained At the fuel inlet there is another small screen that should be periodically inspected particularly during the anshynual inspection
ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS Pumps are usushyally a vane-type pump the sliding vanes producing a low positive pressure A means to adjust pressure is included on the pump The drive shaft has a shear section to protect the engine in case of pump seizure
EMERGENCY FUEL PUMP A common type is a hand-operated wobble pump Later installations may use an electric boost pump There should be a means to adjust output boost pressure to the carbureshytor Some pumps have a small screen incorporated to further strain the fuel before it enters the carburetor
LINES amp FITTINGS Fuel lines are commonly made from aluminum alloy 5052 tubing This alloy is easily bent and flared The flaring angle is 37 degrees (not automotive type which is flared at 45 degrees) Aluminum AN fittings are to be used blue anodizing on the fittings identifies them as aluminum The tubshying should be clamped every 18 inches Common tube
diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp are 38 inch and for engines to 450 hp 12 inch I use the Boeing Stearman as an example when there is no factory data on fuel line size The Stearman used fuel lines that are 12 inch in diameter
TROUBLESHOOTING Other than checking screens and looking for leaks there isnt much to look for Always check lines for chafing chafing can evenshytually cause a hole to be rubbed into the line Sump drains may continually leak as seals wear or debris colshylects in the drain seat area Pressure systems should be monitored on the pressure gauge for any changes in operating pressure A lowering of the pressure could indicate pump wear
OIL SYSTEMS All radial engines were equipped with dry sump oil systems Dry sump systems had an external oil tank while wet sump systems had the oil contained within the engine case Now lets look at the system components in detail
ENGINE-DRIVEN OIL PUMP These pumps were gear type and had two functions 1) to provide positive oil pressure to the engine and 2) to scavenge oil from the engine sumps and return it to the tank Therefore the scavenge side of the pump had twice the capacity as the pressure side The engine-driven pump contains a suction inlet check valve the purpose of which is to block oil from entering the pump when the engine is not running However it seems that if the oil tank is mounted above the pump inlet oil will seep around the check valve and flow into the lower cylinders creating the dreaded hydraulic lock Always turn the prop at least 14 blades before starting If in doubt remove one spark plug from the lower cylinders start and run the engine with the plugs out then shut down and reinstall the plugs Then clean the engine and fuselage of all the oil that was blown out of the lower cylinders
OIL TANK Most small single-row radial engines carried from 4 to 8 gallons of oil The amount of oil carried is determined by the airframe designer Tanks were designed to withstand an internal pressure of 5 psi so they were well baffled and made of heavy Terneshyplate or aluminum Some aircraft were equipped with an oil shut-off valve to keep oil from entering the enshygine when not running But this was always dangerous if the pilot forgets to turn on the oil prior to starting
Y DRAIN The Y drain is installed at the lowest point of the system and allows oil to be drained from the tank Some Y drains had a built-in fuel dilution port that allowed the pilot to introduce fuel into the oil system to dilute the oil for cold starting
OIL COOLER If installed the oil radiator is used to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
cool the oil before it re-enters the engine Oil coolers are equipped with a thermostat valve that directs oil through the cooler when a certain temperature is reached Oil coolers are best repaired by sending them out to a repair shop for overhaul and test Coolers were made of brass and soft-soldered together during assembly
LINES FITTINGS amp HOSE Since they carry litshytle or no pressure oil lines are made from 3003 alushyminum tubing usually 1 inch in diameter The ends are beaded to accept hose and clamps The fittings are brass or aluminum and are coded AN840 AN842 and AN844 Hose is Mil-H-6000 which is fuel- and oil-resistant Clamps are stainshyless-steel worm-type clamps Worm-type clamps tend to stay round when tightened while the older clamps will move to The chafing pressure one should investigate an out-of-round condition when and locate the real problem This over-tightened Note Use only of oil lines can could be easier said than done as enough torque on the clamps to some disassembly of the engine stop seepage and no more Do may be required cause failure not over-tighten clamps Normal torque for clamps is a mere 20-25 CHOOS ING OIL The folshywith disastrous resultsinch-pounds When assembling lowing represents my opinion the aluminum tubing the tubing There will be other opinions and should not touch and the maxishy Check all lines one should choose what he or she mum separation should be one thinks best for the engine J have tube diameter for security chafing always broken in a newly overshy
hauled engine with pure mineral INSTRUMENTATION Presshy oil either SO or 60 weight whatshyand leaks
sure and temperature gauges are provided in the cockpit to monshyitor oil These gauges are bourshydon-tube type the pressure gauge being connected to a pressure port on the engine case by a flex line to the firewall then to the instrument by alushyminum tubing The temperature gauge has a shielded line filled with a liquid which vaporizes and expands as the oil temperature increases this is what is known as a vapor-pressure indicator Methyl chloride is a common fluid used in the sensing bulb The sensing bulb at the end of the line probes heat either in the crankcase or the oil line Never cut the capillary line to shorten it The liqUid will turn to a gas under atmospheric pressure If there is excess length of line it will have to be coiled and clamped preferably behind the instrument panel
MAINTENANCE The chafing of oil lines can cause failure with disastrous results Check all lines for secushyrity chafing and leaks Tighten hose clamps to about 20-25 pounds of torque Once a hose is saturated with oil continued tightening of the clamp will not stop the seep replace the hose If the engine is to be reshyplaced for any reason remove and flush the oil tank and cooler (if installed) This is especially important if metal is found in the main or sump oil screen indicatshy
32 DECEMBER 2009
ing some type of failure Jve heard stories of metal conshytamination in a newly overhauled engine only to be found that it came from the tank or cooler and not the newly overhauled engine A flexible line should always be installed from the engine to the firewall to sense oil pressure A synthetic rubber hose is recommended
TROUBLESHOOTING Once the pressure has been set at the pressure pump it should only vary in presshysure due to temperature The oil system in an engine is complex and on Single-row radials only one pump is used to pressure and scavenge the oil Oil will seek the path of least resistance so if a clearance between
two parts increases the oil will be pushed through at this point This will cause a drop in oil presshysure Rather than adjusting the
ever the overhaul manual recomshymends Assuming the engine had some test-stand time I generally run the new engine long enough
to check for operation and leaks Then test flight at a high power setting for one hour then check all screens for contamination At 10 hours of time I drain and reshyplace the oil check the screens and do a cylinder leakshyage check of the engine and also a close inspection of the engine and controls The next oil change is done at 25 hours of time The oil is drained cylinder leakage checked and a close inspection made of the engine and controls
One should keep a close accounting of the oil that must be added to the tank during run-in When oil consumption decreases the rings have seated and at this point the engine can continue on mineral oil or be switched to ashless dispersant (AD) oil My prefershyence is to run the engine another 25 hours on mineral oil then switch to AD oil Having said that I have just completed the break-in of a Continental W-670 engine using SO-weight AeroShell ashless dispersant oil with excellent results However always follow the recomshymendations of the overhaul shop Perhaps this could be a future column Most overhaul shops still recomshymend engine break-in using straight mineral oil ~
Jim Ostrich La Mesa Co
bull Pilot since 1980
bull Also has a Beech T-34 North American T-28C L-29 Delfin Jet and a North American built L-17A
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
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Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
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Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
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Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
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Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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40 D ECEM B E R 2009
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA WISCONSIN
Send your answer t o EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in n o later t han January 15 for inclusion in the March 2010 iss u e of Vintage A i rplane
You can also send your reshysponse via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to inclu de you r name p lus your city and st at e in the bod y of your not e and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the sub ject line
SEPTEMBERS MYSTERY A N SWER
Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2
The September Mystery Plane was of such an unusual proshyfile I wasnt surprised that many of you experienced
vintage airplaners spotted it right away Heres Wes Smiths answer
Vincent Justus Burnelli (spelled Buranelli in early aeronautical litshyerature) was born at Temple Texas on 22 November 1895 He attended school at Temple and at Monterrey
Mexico before attendshying St Peters College at Jersey City New Jersey where he studied engishyneering for three years
Radical is pershyhaps the best word that describes the 1921 Remington-Burnelli RB-1 (T T Remington was Burnelli s partner) Thoroughly described in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly and Flight
the RB-1 was like the Lawson C-2 a giant for its day In an obvious deparshyture from conventional design pracshytice the lifting fuselage feature of the RB-1 was to say the least unique How Burnelli came to the conclusion that the fuselage could be aerodyshynamically useful (the lift generated by the fuselage was said to be about 40 percent of the total) is unclear He was certainly an original thinker although
the concept of blended wing-bodshyies dates at least as far back as 1909 when Dr Hugo Junkers proposed the notion In any case the RB-1 (built by the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp at Amityville Long Island New York) was powered by two 420-hp Liberty V-12s buried inside the fuselage The biplane wings spanned 74 feet and the 14-foot wide (at the front) fuseshylage when added to the elevator and propellers gave the RB-1 an overall length of 41 feet 2 inches The airfoil cross section of the fuselage is only described as special while the wing used an M-2 airfoil A maximum height of 18 feet and loaded weight of 14637 pounds made the RB-1 truly a large airplane Life of the RB-1 was relatively brief It was destroyed in a storm on Staten Island in 1923 Inshyterestingly the engines of the RB-1 ended up in the Sikorsky S-29A acshycording to an interview conducted with Burnelli by Harvey Lippincott
34 DECEMBER 2009
(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
Well for fabric-covered airplanes anyway we got the idea from Ponce
has the foot-deep luster of authentic polished dope
Roll back the calendar on your planes finish
800-362-3490 RandolphAircraftcom
Its called rejuvenation and it works great with real dope finishes Spray our rejuvenator overaged dope it soaks in and restores flexibility for years of added life It can even hide hairline cracks And no finish
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
Drive one
WE SPEAK CAR And People Like What Were Saying
2010 Ford Fusion Americas most fuel efficient mid-size sedan
The four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is certified at 34 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
The Fusion 1-4 joins the all-new 41 mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid already at the top of the mpg tables
The 2010 Ford Fusion Sis powered by a new 25-liter Duratec mated to a fuel-efficient six-speed automatic transmission
The Ford Fusion is the only AWD V6 sedan in its class
Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
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(Harvey was the official historian for United AircratUnited Technologies for many years-Ed)
Burnelli did not quit with the destruction of the RB-l although Remington had enough by 1924 and pulled out of their partnership early in the construction of the RBshy2 Burnellis second lifting body the RB-2 (the September 2009 Mysshytery Plane) was an incremental imshyprovement over Burnellis original design The fuselage now covered with corrugated duralumin had a volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15 feet by 6 feet 6 inches The rectanshygular construction of the Burnelli fuselage was also considered to be an advantage in case of a crash due to the added structural strength Relocating to Hartford Connectishycut Burnelli now joined forces with Thomas Garvan of the Garvan Pashyper Company Designed as a cargo aircraft and dubbed The Flying Showshyroom by flying with a Ford Model T the RB-2 now a product of the Garshy
larger than the RB-l With a span of 80 feet a length of 46 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches the RB-2 weighed 9800 pounds empty and 16500 pounds loaded Powered by two British Galloway Engineering Atlantic engines of 500 hp the RB-2 had a VMAX of 102 mph A subsidiary of Beardmore the Galloway Atlantic was a V-12 based on BHP cylinders and a twin Puma block It first ran in October of 1917 and was built in the dozens for the de Havilland DH 15 and Handley Page V 1500 In fact it was the most powerful British enshygine at the end of the Great War The four-wheel undercarriage of the RB-l was also refined being replaced with twin wheels
Only detail parts of the RB-2 were built at the Garvan-Burnelli Aircraft Corp located at 1840 Broad St in Hartford The aircraft was actually asshysembled in a hangar at Curtiss Field on Long Island and was initially testshyflown there before being flown to Brainard Field near Hartford where it was based Flown by Lt George Pond US Navy the RB-2 soon enshy
countered trouble over Rhode Isshyland when it ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a swamp The wicker cha irs mounted only temporarshyily created havoc during the landshying when passengers where tossed about the cabin Luckily they only suffered minor injuries After repair at the Broad Street location the airshycraft was returned to Brainard Field Photos taken of the interior appear to show that at least one Ford auto was carried by the RB-2 Another source states that the aircraft toured the United States carrying an Essex coupe and eight passengers In 1964 the sign of the Garvan-Burnelli Airshycraft Corp was found on the propshyerty Unfortunately the fate of the RB-2 is unknown to this author
After the RB-2 Burnelli continued to refine his concept and built sevshyeral more lifting fuselage designs through the end of World War II Burnelli died on 22 June 1964 at the age of 69 on Long Island New York For many years Chalmers H Goodshy
lin took up where Burnelli left off complete with conspiracy theories on who was trying to kill Burnellis work In more recent years aI12th scale flying model of the RB-2 has been successfully flown and plans for a radio-controlled model of the RB-2 are being offered for around $25 Perhaps not the bonanza Burshynelli had hoped for but still an intershyesting model airplane
Regards Wesley R Smith Springfield Illinois
Other correct answers were reshyceived from Toby Gursanscky Sydshyney Australia Glenn Robinson Lagro Indiana Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis Minnesota Alan Bushychner Pine Mountain Lake Calishyfornia Joe Stamm Chagrin Falls Ohio Russ Brown Lyndhurst Ohio Wayne Van Valkenburgh Jasper Georgia Tom Lymburn Princeton Minnesota and Ev Cassagneres Cheshire Connecticut
van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp was even l-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~shy
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Its called rejuvenation and it works great with real dope finishes Spray our rejuvenator overaged dope it soaks in and restores flexibility for years of added life It can even hide hairline cracks And no finish
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3S
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
Drive one
WE SPEAK CAR And People Like What Were Saying
2010 Ford Fusion Americas most fuel efficient mid-size sedan
The four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is certified at 34 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
The Fusion 1-4 joins the all-new 41 mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid already at the top of the mpg tables
The 2010 Ford Fusion Sis powered by a new 25-liter Duratec mated to a fuel-efficient six-speed automatic transmission
The Ford Fusion is the only AWD V6 sedan in its class
Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
Something to buy sell or trade
Cl assified 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
Advert ising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i e January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict 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 (920-426-6845) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted ) Include name 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call 800-517-9278
wwwaerolistorg Aviations Leading Marketplace
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom or call 1-800-645-7739 We also do Custom T-shirts and Caps for Clubs
REAL ESTATE
Southern Utah 1 Airpark in Southwest Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch UT 47 Rare Find Mega home with 7000 sq ft Hangar runway access on 26 Acres Nice selection of HangarHomes amp Lots on 1 to 25 Acres for Sale wwwscyranchairportcom or Call Nick Berg 435-668-3800
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration LLC Annual Inspections Airframe recovering fabric repairs and complete restorations Wayne A Forshey AampP amp IA 740-472shy1481 Ohio and bordering states
Of Aviallon Since 1920 wwwdessercom
AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR S ERI ES
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
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 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
323-721-4900 FAX 323-721 -7888
6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106 DESSERffi ~
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
A Hunger for the Sky By Sparky Barnes Sargent
A Hunger for the Sky recounts the paths of nine women from age 28 to 98 who through desire and passion found their own unique way into the world of aviation Each story begins at childhood and finishes with what the women aviators are doing today Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a journey through their trials and trishyumphs to reaching their goals Youll find yourself connecting with and rooting for each woman
This book explores the different aviation careers each woman chose the path she took and in some cases the path she paved Some found aviation early on but othshyers discovered it late in life Youll get to know Evelyn Bryan Johnson who learned to fly when World War II was coming to an end and has logged more than 57635 hours of flight time Sandy Mercandetti a single mother who started flying in her mid-30s and went on to be an airline pilot Suzanne Asbury-Oliver the only professional female skyshywriter in the nation and six other amazing women in aviation
A Hunger for the Sky should be on the must-read list for every woman today especially young women It not only covers career options but also teaches life lessons that stretch
36 DECEMBER 2009
beyond aviation These women have been there theyve done it and you get to hear it in their own words
One lesson that rings loud and clear throughout this book is that with hard work determination and commitment you can do anything you set your sights on-Kristy Hemp
(Editors Note I enjoyed reading Sparkys book as well as [ do all her articles but one biography really got my attention The story of Vi Blowers was delightful She is a la _ from Ohio whom [ first met over a decade ago at Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21 she owned with her friend Brown Dilshylard It was as fun to read as it is to sit and chat with Vi in personf-HGF)
Harold F Pitcairn-
Aviator Inventor and Developer of the Autogiro by Carl R Gunther
I realize its a cliche to say that a book represents a lifetime of work but in this case it fits the project perfectly Carl Gunthers father Ariel C Gunther learned to fly at Pitcairn Aviation in 1925 and Carl cant remember a time when he wasnt interested in avishyation The story of Pitcairn was meant to be preserved by him for Carl knew both Harold Pitcairn
and his son Stephen Thanks to his dedication to the history of early American aviation on the East Coast of the United States and to the story of Pitcairn in particular he was asked by the Pitcairn family to thoroughly reshysearch the records of Pitcairns avishyation companies beginning with the fixed base operator founded by Harold all the way through the arduous patent litigation that finally ended years after Harold Pitcairns untimely passing
The book comprised of 729 pages is an in-depth review of the correspondence by Harold and his contemporaries in the industry both as an operator of a pioneershying airmail line and as he founded the Autogiro business in the United States In reading the corresponshydence its clear that Harold Pitcairn was a man dedicated to the promshyise of safety the Autogiro seemed to possess and that despite financial and legal hurdles that often would have stopped others cold he kept at it until his end
Harold F Pitcairn-Aviator Invenshytor and Developer of the Autogiro isnt a quick read and it isnt intended to be so its a deep historical refershyence that is quite readable thanks to Gunthers smooth transitional text and the conversational style of Pitshycairns letter writing with a genershyous sprinkling of sharp photographs from the Pitcairn files and the aushythors collection The combination makes it quite enjoyable and gives insight to a time when the ability to express oneself well via a letter was considered not only a necessity but an art-HG Frautschy
Published by the Bryn Athyn College Press distributed by the Sweden borg Scientific Association Order by calling 215-914-2986 or online at wwwnewphilosophyonline org Available in both cloth and softcover editions
ISBN 978-0-910557-75-7
Drive one
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The four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is certified at 34 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
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Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
Something to buy sell or trade
Cl assified 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
Advert ising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i e January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict 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 (920-426-6845) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted ) Include name 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call 800-517-9278
wwwaerolistorg Aviations Leading Marketplace
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom or call 1-800-645-7739 We also do Custom T-shirts and Caps for Clubs
REAL ESTATE
Southern Utah 1 Airpark in Southwest Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch UT 47 Rare Find Mega home with 7000 sq ft Hangar runway access on 26 Acres Nice selection of HangarHomes amp Lots on 1 to 25 Acres for Sale wwwscyranchairportcom or Call Nick Berg 435-668-3800
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration LLC Annual Inspections Airframe recovering fabric repairs and complete restorations Wayne A Forshey AampP amp IA 740-472shy1481 Ohio and bordering states
Of Aviallon Since 1920 wwwdessercom
AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR S ERI ES
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
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 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
323-721-4900 FAX 323-721 -7888
6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106 DESSERffi ~
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Drive one
WE SPEAK CAR And People Like What Were Saying
2010 Ford Fusion Americas most fuel efficient mid-size sedan
The four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is certified at 34 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
The Fusion 1-4 joins the all-new 41 mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid already at the top of the mpg tables
The 2010 Ford Fusion Sis powered by a new 25-liter Duratec mated to a fuel-efficient six-speed automatic transmission
The Ford Fusion is the only AWD V6 sedan in its class
Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
Something to buy sell or trade
Cl assified 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
Advert ising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i e January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict 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 (920-426-6845) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted ) Include name 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call 800-517-9278
wwwaerolistorg Aviations Leading Marketplace
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom or call 1-800-645-7739 We also do Custom T-shirts and Caps for Clubs
REAL ESTATE
Southern Utah 1 Airpark in Southwest Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch UT 47 Rare Find Mega home with 7000 sq ft Hangar runway access on 26 Acres Nice selection of HangarHomes amp Lots on 1 to 25 Acres for Sale wwwscyranchairportcom or Call Nick Berg 435-668-3800
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration LLC Annual Inspections Airframe recovering fabric repairs and complete restorations Wayne A Forshey AampP amp IA 740-472shy1481 Ohio and bordering states
Of Aviallon Since 1920 wwwdessercom
AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR S ERI ES
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
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 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
323-721-4900 FAX 323-721 -7888
6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106 DESSERffi ~
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Peach State continued from page 17
the Easter Bunny various airshyplane gatherings (Aeronca Cub 70 mph fly-in) and a Veterans Day fly-in Alexander himself is a Vietnam veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a resupply mission he flew for Speshycial Forces SO thats a real passhysion for me he emphasized lilts real important that the veterans be recognized from World War II on up Thats the main event we have here as far as Im concerned And we get a big response from locals with that and thats what were looking for Were here for everybody and thats the crux of it-we are not exclusive to aviashytion people
Captivated by the intrigue of a bygone era visitors both young and young-in-spirit find themselves drawn to Peach State Aerodrome home of Candler Field Museum Once there they each contribute their own richly textured threads to this tangible tapestry of timeshywhether their interests are antique wings or wheels or just old-time family fun Rides are available (by prior arrangement) in a Waco YMF-5 on the weekends from June through September and for those who crave just a bit more time in the air Tim Preston offers on-site tailwheel instruction in his J-3 Cub and Stearman All are welcome to visit and fly through the Georgia skies or simply relax and let the southern breezes caress their counshytenances as they trade at least a few moments of today for a few moshyments of yesteryear
For more information visit www PeachStateAerocom or contact Ron Alexander by phone at 770-467shy9490 or e-mail at ronalexander mindspringcom The aerodrome (GA2) is located just inside Atlantas 30-nm veil in Williamson Georgia and has a 2400-foot by 100-foot grass runway with a field elevation of 950 feet mean sea level Avgas is available (pilots are advised to vershyify fuel availability) 38 DECEMBER 2009
To start receiving e-Hotllne thiS week VISit wwwEAAorgnewsletters
~
_
EM calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to
spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area The usermiddotfriendly searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to aflymiddotin
In EAAs online Calendar of Events you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events youd like to attend
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http wwweaaorgcalendar
Upcoming Major Fly-Ins US Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) Sebring Florida January 21-24 2010 wwwSport-AviationmiddotExpocom
AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen Germany April 8-11 2010 wwwAERO-Friedrichshafencomhtmfen
Sun n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland Rorida April 13-18 2010 wwwSun-N-Funorg
Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) Suffolk Virginia May 22-23 2010 wwwVirginiaFfyfnorg
Golden West Regional Flyn and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville California June 11-13 2010 wwwGofdenWestRyfnorg
Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington Washington July 7-11 2010 wwwArfingtonFfyfnorg
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh Wisconsin July 26-August 1 2010 wwwAirVentureorg
Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) Denver Colorado August 28-29 2010 wwwCOSportAviationorg
Copoerstate Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ) Casa Grande Arizona October 21-23 2010 wwwCOPPERSTATEorg
For details on hund reds of upco mi ng aviation happenings including EAA chapter fly- ins Young Eagles ra ll ies and oth er local av iation events visit the EAA Calendarof Events located at wwweaaorgcaiendar
Something to buy sell or trade
Cl assified 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
Advert ising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i e January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict 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 (920-426-6845) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted ) Include name 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call 800-517-9278
wwwaerolistorg Aviations Leading Marketplace
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom or call 1-800-645-7739 We also do Custom T-shirts and Caps for Clubs
REAL ESTATE
Southern Utah 1 Airpark in Southwest Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch UT 47 Rare Find Mega home with 7000 sq ft Hangar runway access on 26 Acres Nice selection of HangarHomes amp Lots on 1 to 25 Acres for Sale wwwscyranchairportcom or Call Nick Berg 435-668-3800
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration LLC Annual Inspections Airframe recovering fabric repairs and complete restorations Wayne A Forshey AampP amp IA 740-472shy1481 Ohio and bordering states
Of Aviallon Since 1920 wwwdessercom
AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR S ERI ES
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
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 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
323-721-4900 FAX 323-721 -7888
6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106 DESSERffi ~
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
Something to buy sell or trade
Cl assified 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
Advert ising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i e January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue) VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict 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 (920-426-6845) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using credit card payment (all cards accepted ) Include name 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available 1994 pricing Visit wwwflyingwirescom or call 800-517-9278
wwwaerolistorg Aviations Leading Marketplace
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE wwwairplanetshirtscom or call 1-800-645-7739 We also do Custom T-shirts and Caps for Clubs
REAL ESTATE
Southern Utah 1 Airpark in Southwest Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch UT 47 Rare Find Mega home with 7000 sq ft Hangar runway access on 26 Acres Nice selection of HangarHomes amp Lots on 1 to 25 Acres for Sale wwwscyranchairportcom or Call Nick Berg 435-668-3800
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration LLC Annual Inspections Airframe recovering fabric repairs and complete restorations Wayne A Forshey AampP amp IA 740-472shy1481 Ohio and bordering states
Of Aviallon Since 1920 wwwdessercom
AERO CLASSIC COLLECTOR S ERI ES
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
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 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
323-721-4900 FAX 323-721 -7888
6900 Acco St Montebello CA 90640 TIRE amp RUBBER COMPANY 3400 Chelsea Ave Memphis TN 38106 DESSERffi ~
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done
and you re 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 (no home printers please-those prints just don t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your 25-megapixel (or 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 (If your e-mail program asks if you d 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 vlntagealrcraft eaaorg or call us at 920-426-4825
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Telephone 800-247-8473 or
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President Geoff Robison
1521E MacG regor Dr New Haven IN 46774
260-493middot4724 chie7025aul(ot11
secretary Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave Albert Lea MN 56007
507middot373middot1 674 stles2009livecu1n
Vicemiddot Preside nt George Daubner
N5 7W3483 7 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc WI 53066
262middot560-1949 gciaub ereaaorg
Treasurer Charles W Harris 72 15 East 46th SI Tulsa OK 74147
918middot622middot8400 cwhhv5u com
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road SIJerborn MA 01 770
508middot653middot7557 ss t 1OCOIncas l lIet
David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 916middot645-8370
Qntiquerinreacll co1ll
Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood IN 46 143 317-422middot9366
IbrowIl4906aoJ(om
Dave Cla rk 635 Vesta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317 middot839middot4500
dovecpda tt lI poundl
John S Copel nd 1 A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 01532 508-393-4775
copeland l jw lOcom
Ph il Coulson 284 15 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269middot624-6490
rCDusonS I 6cscom
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapo li s IN 46278 317-293-4430
tia le(a)teuroPms com
Jean nie Hill 10 Box 328
Harvard I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205
Espie Butch Joyce704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336middot668middot3650
winrisockaolcom
Dan Knutson 106 Te na Marie Circle
Lodi WI 53555 608-592-7224
odicu)(tilclwrterllet
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaoi com
Robert D Hob Lumley 1265 South 124th SI Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmpff(g~xecpc com
S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1 545
sIJscfmidsmailcom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Robert C Brauer EE Buck Hilbert 9345 S Hoyne 8102 Leech Rd
Chicago IL 60643 Union IL 60180 773-779-2105 815-923-4591
pllotopiiotaoi cotll buck7acgm aiicom
Gene Chase Gene M orris 2159 Carlton Rd 5936 Steve Court
Oshkosh WI 54904 Roanoke TX 76262 920-231-5002 81 7-491-9 110
GRCHA cirarter lIet gellem orrisCilart frnet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave J~~nB~~rft~n
Kent City MI 49330 New Egypt NJ 08533 616-678middot50 12 609middot758-29 IO
rFritzpath waYllel com j r tll rgya14aoi com
~
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
~
-c ~1I~EAAs VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~TM
EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintngeaircraforg wwwainentureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrateaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AM-700 PM Monday-Friday CST) 80()564middot6322 FAX 920-42amp4873 wwweaaorglmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg
bullNew renew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales Gift memberships
EM AirVenture Oshkosh 888-3224636 wwwairventureor airventureeaaorg Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotoi sportpiloteaaorg
Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-42amp4843 dwalkereaaor Education Aeroscholars 920-426-6570 mrobbinseaaorg
bull EM Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyor airacademyeaaorg bull EM Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg
Right Instructor information 920-426-6801 wwweaaoJampL1afi tdeimereaaorg Library ServicesResearch 920-42amp4848 slurveyeaaorg
Benefits AUA Vintaie Insurance Plan 80()727middot3823 wwwauaonlinecom EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 wwweaaoSLmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg EM VISA Card 80Q853-5576 ext 8884
EAA Hertz RentmiddotA-Car Program 80()654shy 2200 wwweaaorglhertz membershipeaaorg EM Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program 877421-3722 wwweaaorglenterprise membershipeaaorJ Editorial 920-42amp4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg VAA Office FAX 920-426-6579 tbookseaaorg
EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (3224636) Use this tollmiddotfree number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions
chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling Office hours are 815 am 500 pm (Mondaymiddot Friday CST)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft AssociatiDn Inc is $40 for one year ineludshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Family membership is an additional $10 annuall y Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually All major credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an add it ional $20 per year
EAA Membership and EAA SPOR T PILOT magazine is availab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-eluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may joi n t h e
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine nDt in-eluded) (A dd $7 fo r Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join the
International Aerobatic Club Inc Divishys ion and receive SPOR T AER OBATICS magaZine fo r an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership SPOR T AER OBATshyICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magazine not incl u ded) (A dd $18 f or Fore ign Postage)
WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS magashyzine and o n e year membersh i p in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in-eluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit yo u r remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions
Copyright 112009 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 Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and 546 for non-EM members Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - 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 Members are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirelywith the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent to Ed~or VINTAGEAIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMregand EM SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aerooautica are registered trademar1lts trademarilts and service mar1lts of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademar1lts and service marks wrthout the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Associatkgtn Inc is strictly prohibited
40 D ECEM B E R 2009
