Vintage Airplane - Dec 2006

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Dec 2006

1/44

u

~

D


2/44

r i L W ~ € € L S

D

ave

Bvown


3/44

DE

E

BER

E

VOL

34

, No. 12 2006

ONTENTS

2 VAA News

4

By

The Numbers

Getting

the

markings right

by Marv

Hoppenworth

7 Restoration Corner

General res toration techniques

by Stan Gomoll

10

The Prototype 1930 INF

Ted Teach's AirVenture award

winner

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

18

The Oldest

Chipmunk

Ca

n you fly Canadian?

by

Budd Davisson

8

Why

I Love

to

Fly

Exp la

ining

the

lure of flight

by Hugh B. Horning

3 Book Review

4 The Vintage Instructor

Best glide

by

Doug Stewart

36

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

S T FF

EAA Publisher Tom

Pob

erezny


4/44

F

to

STC Holders: No Ethanol

in

Auto Fuel

The FAA has issued a special air

worthiness information bulletin

(SAIB) warning

aircraft

owners

and

operators with

auto

fuel supplemen

tal

type

certificates (STC)

to ensure

the

fuel they use does not contain

alcohol

(ethanol

or

methanol). The

SAIB reinforces EAA's ongoing efforts

to ensure the availability of compli

ant

autogas by

heading

off or modi

fying legislative attempts in several

states to require ethanol in all gaso

lines sold.

EAA, one of two primary sources of

automobile gasoline

STCs

for general

aviation aircraft, advocates that , at

the very least, states

should

exempt

premium grade

fuel

from ethanol

mandates

to

ensure a readily avail

able

and

safe fuel supply for aircraft.

The

FAA

cites

numerous

reasons

alcohol and airplanes do not

mix.

Alcohol:

• Adversely affects the volatility of

auto

gasoline, which could cause va

por lock.

. Is corrosive and not

compatible

with

rubber seals and

other

mate

rials

used in aircraft, which could

lead to

fuel

system

deterioration

and

malfunction

.

• Is subject to phase separation,

which

happens when the fuel cools

as an aircraft

climbs to

higher alti

automobile gasoline that conforms to

the specifications published in

their

airplane flight

manual

or automobile

gasoline STC

flight manual supple

ment.

Those

unsure

about

the

pres

ence of alcohol can perform a simple

test with

EAA's

auto

fuel Alcohol Test

Kit, available by calling 920-426-4843

or e-mailing dwalker@

eaa.or

g

2 j1

lIRVENTURE

O S K O S

It s Never Too Early to

Plan for Oshkosh

Aviation's biggest

week

of

the

year

takes a year

to prepare

for,

and

you

can bet

preparations

are well under

way

for EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh

2007, set to take

place

July 23-29.

EAA draws the

aviation

community

together

to share the pure joy and

excitement of flight

unmatched

any

where in the world.

"All

the

spirit,

innovation, and

dreams of

aviation come together

in

one place, for one week, said

EAA

President

Tom Poberezny. This

is the true magiC

of A irVenture:

Whether

we come from

the

pilot

this

event unique,

however,

is

the

fact that

it

is also

aviation's

annual

family reunion .

If you're asked

to

explain what

EAA

AirVenture is,

there's

only one

good answer-'You gotta be there '"

Start Out the

New Year

at

SportAir Workshop

EAA s

SportAir Workshops will

hit

the ground running

in

2007

with

a

large

number and variety of ses

sions

located

throughout

the coun

try. Now is the time to make plans to

attend

before

they

fill up. And

what

better holiday gift

is

there

for

the

as

piring homebuilder?

• Oshkosh, Wisconsin-january

27 -28: Learn

to

successfully build your

aircraft

with

these courses: Compos

ites, Fabric Covering, or Sheet Metal.

Other

courses include Electrical Sys

tems

and

Avionics,

and

Gas Welding,

plus Introduction to Aircraft Building

and What's

Involved

in

Kit Building

suit those just getting started.

• Lakeland, Florida-February 17

18: Held

at

the

Sun 'n Fun campus,

learn Composites,

Fabric

Covering

,

and Sheet Metal, as well as Electrical

Systems

and

Avionics,

and What

's In

volved in

Kit

Building.

• Dallas, Texas-March 3-4: Com

posites, Fabric

Covering

, and Sheet

Metal construction

methods,

plus

Electrical Systems and Avionics, Gas

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


5/44

workshops,

as well as

special

EM

mem

ber tuition for

the

courses, visit

www

SportAir com or call 800-967-5746.

Lost

Swift

Cowling

Mark Holliday

had

a

bad night

a

while back,

and

he s willing

to

share

the event

with

those of

you in the

southeastern United States in the hope

that someone will hear of a new Globe

Swift cowling that s appeared. Here s

Mark s sad tale:

While trailering N78261

north on

Interstate

75

from Atlanta to Athens

the entire nice original cowl blew off

the airplane, unknown to me

until

I

was getting off the highway at the Ath

ens exit. The cowl appeared to be bolted

in place, the handles were latched, and

the camlocks on the top fastened, but

the

brackets were bolted

only to the

firewall and were

not

attached

to the

cowl. I saw screws

through

the holes

where the bracket attaches to the cowl,

but

they were apparently too small and

used only to position the cowl; but the

cowl felt solid.

By

the time I got turned around and

returned to Atlanta to proceed

north

on 1 75 (about a two-hour drive each

way,

and

it s now

about

2:00

a.m.

looking for

the

cowl,

someone must

have already picked it up. I didn t find

it.

I checked with the Georgia State

Pa-

trol, and there was no record of any

accidents or their people picking it up.

Could you please run the following ad:

Lost complete original Swift cowl

on

northbound

1 75 between Atlanta, GA

and Athens,

TN on

10-5-06. Reward for

return or information. Mark 651-270

1318, or e-mail:

MarkH85@aol com

If

you ve got news for Mark, please

contact him

at the

numbers above, or

call

us

here at

VAA

headquarters: 920

426-4825 .

Ei TEn N

THE 20

IRCR FT

TO

FLO K

Just as

this issue

was

going

to

press, we were advised

of the

passing of 1999 VAA Hall of Fame

Inductee

Tom Flock

of

Rockville,

Indiana.

Tom was a master re

storer of Waco aircraft

and

known

worldwide

for

his expertise and

outstanding workmanship on

a

number of

Waco restorations

and

a PiperJ-3 Cub. He was a longtime

member

of

EAA

Chapter 83.

A

retired farm-implements

dealer, Tom s avocation was

an

tique

aircraft, a passion

at

which

he

excelled. During

the

1993 Waco

Club fly-in, Tom was awarded the

Bob Poor Memorial Award for ex

quisite workmanship. His restora

tions consistently won

awards at

fly-ins across

the

country. He en

joyed meeting folks from all walks

http:///reader/full/SportAir.commailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/SportAir.commailto:[email protected]


6/44

BY

THE

Getting the markings right

veryone who builds

or restores an airplane

is

hit

with the

task

of

laying

out

registration

identification numbers.

Over the last 60 years

they have gone

from

24

inches to

20

inches to

12

inches

and whatever

on

classic and amateur-

built aircraft. May I suggest a current

copy

of Federal Aviation Regula t ion

FAR)

Section 45 .1, Subpart C, Nation-

al ty and Registration Marks The FAA

mandated markings can

be

traced

Y MARV HOPPENWORTH

back to a 1919 international agree-

ment that

detailed

the

type of mark-

ings for aircraft

around

the world.

I

painted my

first set

of numbers

on my ]-3

Cub

in 1948: NC9245H

in black on ye

ll

ow. I did quite a few

in those early years. Yo u

must hear

about

this

one

set

of

numbers

in

par-

ticular. A friend was

having

me re-

cover

the

wings of his 1939 Aeronca

Chief. One day we

were

alerted to

two new cute little yellow airplanes

at the gas pit. Come to fi nd out, they

were

the

new Piper

PA-15

Vagabonds.

My friend drew my attention to

the

new

little 18-inch numbers on the

wings

and

asked if I cou ld paint his

wings like

that.

My

answer

was , "I

don t know why not." So I proceeded

to

layout

th e set of numbers. Maroon

on

white . Two days after I pull ed

the

tape, we

got

an

advisory

circular

in

the

mail

announcing the

new mini

mum

size of registration numbers on

the

wing was 20 inches

There was

no

way I could correct

that except to do it over. I spent

the

next two evenings on my own time,

Download the letters at

www

Vintage i

rcr

ft

org


7/44

with a sharp knife, peeling the ma

roon

letters down

to the

silver dope

and

reworking

the

white base color.

Then the new

size

20-inch

numbers

were masked

and

repainted

maroon.

Now you know

why

I recommend

a current copy of

FAR

Section 45.1,

Subpart

C

There are so many combi

nations of size, speed, age, etc., that it

is too hard to

commit

to memory.

Here's

another story I have

to

credit

to experience.

Sometime

around

1960,

my

Taylorcraft was

due

for re

cover. At that

time

the FAA was re

questing registration

numbers

be

put

on the side so that recognizing

these

numbers

would

be easier for fighter

pilots. I did not argue

with

that. Since

my T-Craft

had

split colors on

the

fu

selage, I masked and painted black

numbers,

black

above

the

split-line

and yellow numbers below the line,

surrounded by the black trim color.

This set

of numbers, although co n

trasting

in color, washed out to be

unrecognizable at 200 feet. I then

had

to lower my trim line about 8 inches

and redo

the

letters

in

black-an-yel

Iowan

the

lower half.

You

cannot

be

lieve

what

a difference

that

made . We

learn by our mistakes. So we call

i t

ex

perience. Wisdom comes from learn

ing from

someone

else's experience.

Over the years I have observed

many

sets of N numbers. I have seen

I/4 s and I/7 s that would

tip

if you

looked at

them

long

enough.

In

cluded is a

layout of

what, I think,

numbers

should look

like.

The

FAR

calls for Roman Block. Many print

shops

do

not even recognize Roman

Block.

As

you will note, the numeral

cals. Decide where you want to put

your row

of numbers.

If

it

is a rect

angular wing, I suggest you take your

measurements from

the

trailing edge.

The distance between each

l

etter

or

number is to be one-half the width of

the letters. Do not use a

ballpoint

pen

to make any marks. A soft lead pencil

should be used if you need to make

marks. You may also use short pieces

of tape.

Two days after

I pulled

the

tape,

we got

an

advisory circular

in the

mail

announcing the

new

minimum

size of

registration

numbers

on

90 degrees when you get to the last

number. It is

suggested that you iden

tify each number

and

letter, and mark

it on the tape.

Check

it against

your

registration certificate. An error from

here

on

would be hard to correct.

We all know that masking tape

never

tears where you

wish

it to, so

I recommend a putty knife about an

inch and

a half wide . Place the

putty

knife over the spot

you

want the tape

to tear and pull up. This leaves a sharp

edge

with

accuracy

within about

1/64

of

an

inch . Where two pieces of tape

converge

on

an angle

of

less

than

90

degrees, just lay

them

down, stick

ing

one on top

of another.

Lift the

two ends together, slip a small piece

of

metal under

the

intersection, and,

using an Exacto knife or a

sharp

util

ity knife,

cut on the

lines

formed

by

the

masking

tape. Then lay the tapes

back down. Do not

cut

directly

onto

your

painted surface. There are vinyl

tapes

that

give a nice sharp edge, and

these may be worth

the extra cost.

3M Fineline

masking

tape is also

a great

product

for

producing

sharp,

clean masked

paint

edges.

Double-check each

number,

mak

ing

sure you have closed in and

masked all the

corners

that should

be treated that way.

It is

easy

to

over

look . Before painting

the

numbers,

remember

to

check

all

the

edges by

rubbing down with your thumbnail

and

use

a

lower

air

pressure when

painting

the

trim and numbers.

A

simple

way

to

put

numbers

on

the vertical fin and rudder is to lay

out

your small numbers using mask

ing tape sized to match the width of


8/44

VIATION ROMAN

BLOCK

TYPE

BY

H.

G FRAUTSCHY

The font shown to the right is based upon the let website, there are computer type fonts available for

ter guide published in the December 2002 issue

of

use in marking aircraft. The closest version to the

Vintage Airplane as originally published in Brimm style used

on

pre-World

War

II and postwar aircraft is

and Boggess Aircraft Maintenance for the Airplane commonly designated "AmarilloUSAF. " It is the font

Mechanic. In

my

research

on

this subject, at no time used

by

the U.S. Air Force to mark its aircraft. The

have I turned up an

FAA

or Civil Aviation Authority font is available from TLai Enterprises at

www TLai

CAA) document that actually

depicted

the

letters.

com/med_des/amusafhtml It is available as a free

Only a description in the regulations has been seen in download on a

trial

basis and is fairly inexpensive

official documents. ($15)

if you

want to buy the full letter set.

I have created alternative versions

of

some

of

the This font is very close to

that

used on civil aircraft

letters (the 2 and

7)

as seen

in

material submitted

by in

the

1940s,

but there are differences. Research of

Marv Hoppenworth and in period photos of aircra ft your aircraft type will disclose changes you may need

built

in

the 1930s and

1940s.

If members have oth to make. For example, the 7 used

on Waco

aircraft

ers they'd like to see depicted, please let us know. has the upper right corner of the numeral trimmed at

The letters and numbers are available

on

the

VAA an

angle, where other aircraft manufacturers used a

website at www.VintageAircraft.org. They will be down 7 that featured a sharp corner

at

that point. The

load able

in

PDF form and as Adobe Illustrator docu regulatory requirement for the font's thickness to be

ments. You can download only the letters you need, 1/6

of

the height of the character notwithstanding,

or all of them if you wish. Typically, sign shops spe variations

in

thickness seemed to abound as well.

cializing in computer-generated

graphics

can work Another option, for those who would prefer to have


9/44

I-B-I

-

-

. r - - - - - - - ,

B

. - - -- - - -- 1 2 .25

B

-

H

-I

1.5B

_I

w

I B ~ I B I B I

. 5 U J I

Letter Sizes - All Dimensions in Inches

AIRCRAFT

REGISTRATION

NUMBERS

AND

LE

ERS

H=24

20 12

3

W=16

13-3/8

8 2

B=4

3-3/8

2

1/2

E=2-1/2

2

1-1/4

5/16

Universal

Number/Letter Outline

(£)

0

~ =

<

»

G

rrl

»

::0

o 1-,

0

r

o

z

rrl

"

HGF /30 / 06

I I

.758

-l


10/44

BY STAN GOMOLL

eneral restoration techniques

Editor sNote:

In this

installation of the Restoration

Corner,

well-known

vintage

aircraft restorer Stan Gomoll of

Minneapolis, Min

nesota, disc

usses

general

techniques used

in

renovating tail groups and wings . G.

R.

C. and H. G F

T IL

GROU

P

N

D

WINGS

Tail Group

The types of construction used in air

craft tail groups falls into three general cat

egories: steel tUbing, aluminum and wood.

Some of the aircraft utilizing wood construc

tion in their tail groups are Mooney, Culver,

Waco and

Fairchild, to name a few.

Start by laying all the parts

on

the floor

in plan form. Now is the time to check for

pieces that are missing or may have been

misplaced, such as trim actuator brackets,

hinge pins, brace wires and attaching hard

ware. Make a list of missing

parts

along

with a worksheet of the work to

be

accom

plished; then when you set the piece aside

awaiting parts or material, you can pick up

where you left off.

Check for

ADs

or factory service bulletins

that may apply to your aircraft. These could

refer to such things as attach points, hinge

brackets, internal corrosion or wood rot.

Steel

Tube Construction

Clean all the parts using soap and wa-

ter, paint stripper or sandblasting. I do not

choose to sandblast unless it is absolutely

necessary, as this process removes the

natural protective coating on the metal.

Wire

brushing will clean the surface, but leaves

rust

in

pitted areas and inside small radius

corners. If you do choose to sandblast, care

must

be taken because it will reduce the

thickness of the material and can distort

bushings or roller bearings.

If the trim tab on the control surface is

mounted with bolts or PK screws, it might

be necessary to weld a reinforcement

in

this area to prevent cracking of the thin trail

ing edge tubing.

After each part is repaired and cleaned,

give

it

a coat of primer. I like

to

use lac

quer-resistant zinc chromate or a good ep-

oxy primer.

Adjustable

trim

tab

actuators

should

be disassembled, cleaned and re-assem

bled using a grease with a wide tempera

ture range . Check cables for condition and

proper clearance from structures . Make a

drawing to be used

in

accurately locating

the inspection plate holes after the new cov-

ering is installed.

Check

an

d, if necessary, replace the wir-

ing for the navigation light.

You

might want

to install extra wiring for the possible instal

lation

of

a strobe light at a later date .

After all the tail pieces are cleaned , re-

paired and primed, take the time to mount

the complete assembly on the fuselage. It's

much easier to take care of mounting prob

lems now than after the pieces are covered.

At this time do a complete rigging of all wires

and/or

struts

for the tai group, including

hooking

up any

adjustable trim tabs. Check

for adequate clearance between parts, tak

ing into consideration the added thickness

of

one or more layers

of

fabric and/or tape.

Also, i t's easy to rig the proper travel of trim

Check to see that all repairs are covered

on Form 337s . It s not uncommon to find

that the proper paperwork has not been

completed.

Wood Construction

The small blade of a pocket knife is a good

tool for checking the condition of

wood

struc

ture . The po int should penetrate very little

into the

wood

. I suggest trying this on a piece

of scrap wood

to get the feel.

The

blade

will

penetrate very easily into decayed

wood.

It s

advisable to replace all hardware

such asbolts , nuts, washers, etc. as cad

mium plating wears

off

and moisture

in

the

wood can result in

rust

on

these

areas ,

which in turn, causes the wood to decay

with a major loss of strength. Even though

the hardware may look good, it should be

replaced. It has probably been installed for

a long time and with the long life

of

today's

modern fabrics it will be a long time before

the plane is re-covered again.

Pay

particular

attention to the area

around the attach points. All of the old paint

should

be

removed down to bare wood

so

a

good check can

be

made for cracks and dry

rot. Check all the glue joints and gussets for

strength

and/or

separation.

The

old casein

glues deteriorate with

age

.

Refer to the FAA s Advisory Circular AC

43.13, which describes repairs to wood and

metal structures. The old standby is to fin

ish the wood with two coats of spar varnish,


11/44

tion and restoration. Another good source

of information is local

EM

and

VAA

chapter

fly-ins and fly-ins sponsored

by

the various

type clubs.

As

mentioned in previous Restoration

Corner articles , there are companies that

sell reprints of aircraft and engine manuals.

These companies advertise

in Trade-A-Plane

and several aviati

on

magazines and are well

worth knowing about.

Wings-To remove fabric covering, first

remove

the

rib

stitching

by

cutting the cords.

If the fabric is secured by metal clips, these

must be removed carefully to prevent dam

age

to the metal ribs . Whether constructed

of wood or metal, most wings are delicate

structures and can be damaged easily.

Ei

ther save the old fabric or make patterns

from which the location of inspection holes

and control cable openings can

be

deter

mined when the surfaces are re-covered .

After the covering is removed

an

evalua

tion of the condition of the wing is next on

the agenda. Continuing with your worksheet,

make a list of the following items along with

pertinent remarks:

Leading

Edge-note

wrinkles , cracks,

previous repairs , corrosion or

plywood

sepa

ration. Wings are frequently stored with their

leading edges down creating a natural trap

inside the leading edge covering for mois

ture resu lting in corrosion and / or wood rot.

Ribs-note

previous and/ or unrepaired

damage, wood rot, loose glue joints and

gussets, damage to capstrips cause

by

wire

or

PK

screws, ribs misshapen because of

over-taut fabric or bowed due to over-tighten

ing of drag and anti-drag wires.

Butt

ribs-same as

above.

Ribs at aileron

space-same

as above

plus distortion resulting

in

too little or too

much clearance from the aileron.

Spars-note

condition

of finish,

any

cracks or elongated holes causing loose

have

they shrunk, causing ribs to

bow?

Navigation and landing

l ights-check

mounting brackets for cracks and security,

unnecessary screw holes

in

the wood, nut

plates or tinneman nuts miSSing or worn out,

and

condition of wiring. If the landing light is

retractable , does it operate properly?

Ailerons-check

general condition

of

structure. Depending on construction ma

terials , is there rust, corrosion , wood rot ,

loose rivets or glue joints?

Are

hinge attach

points secure? Is the trailing edge straight

and aligned with wing trailing edge? Check

leading edge for cracks and/ or

wrinkles

these are usually visible even through the

finish paint. Some ailerons are counterbal

anced with lead weights

in

either the leading

edge or mounted

on

external arms. Check

these for a good, solid attachment.

A decision

must be

made at this point

whether

to

completely

disassemble the

wing panels or to restore portions of them.

If

you

decide to totally restore the wings, be

sure to do one panel at a time, leaving the

other(s) assembled

to

guide you

in re

-as

sembly of the rebuilt unit.

When

possible, the route I like to take is

to remove the leading edge covering, drag

and anti-drag wires and compression mem

bers, leaving the spars and ribs assembled.

This procedure allows a good cleaning and

checking of the structure. I then refinish the

wood with a minimum

of

two coats

of

spar

varnish, and the metal parts with a good

primer followed by a good covering with

black enamel. Primer alone does not give

long-term protection. Reassemble the wing

panel using all new hardware.

Aluminum

structures

can experience

electrolytic action between the aluminum

and

steel fittings (dissimilar metalS), result

ing

in

corrosion.

The

use of cadmium-plated

bolts will neutralize this action.

An advantage

in

restoring a classic rather

and

the top of the fuselage (high wing

mono

planes or cabin biplanes). Us ing a wing rib

pattern sawed out of plywood, line up the

leading and trailing edges

of

the ribs with

nose ribs in place aligned with main ribs.

The ailerons should be

in

place

to

assure

proper alignment and clearances.

The t rammeling process comes next.

Don 't be alarmed at the thought of doing

this, as it is simple if done according to the

book. It 's

just

a

matter

of tightening the

drag

and

anti-drag wires

in

sequence,

keep

ing each bay square and the spars straight.

This must be done before the leading edge

sheeting (if used) is installed.

Wood leading edges are more difficult

to repair or replace.

The

wood sheets have

to

be

prebent over a form with a smaller

ra

dius than that of the rib curvature. Star t

by

soaking the plywood

in

water overnight, then

clamp it to the form with wide straps . Old

seat belts work well for this.

Do not try to fully bend the sheet at one

time, but tighten the straps gradually.

The

use

of

an electric steam iron

set

on full

heat and applied directly to the wood sur

face helps to bend the wood without crack

ing

thanks to steaming action.

It's of utmost

importance

to

trammel

the wing before final installation of the lead

ing edge sheeting.

For

holding the sheeting

in place I made a

set

of clamps that work

great for either wood or aluminum. I cut

sev

eral pieces of 2 x 4 four inches longer than

the height

of

the spar, then fastened one

end of each strap (seat belt) to one end of

each 2 x 4 . I then weld flat steel plates to

one end of

8

long pieces of l 4 threaded

rod and riveted them

to

the other end

of

each strap.

Each clamp is completed by inserting

each rod through holes drilled at the other

end of each 2 x 4

and

held

in

place

by

large

washers and nuts. These clamps can be


12/44


13/44

ner Airplane Motor Corporation

Ltd.

of

Glendale, California.

The

odel

IN

Teach believes

th t

Kinner

wanted its share in Waco's biplane

market, and that, ultimately, is how

the INF model came

into produc

tion. This was an extremely

popu

lar

biplane, even in 1930 with the

economy

the way it

was, and they

were

selling

like hotcakes-30 of

them in

six

months

So

we

think

that

Kinner agreed

to

buy the air

plane

if Waco

would

design and use

the

Kinner engine installation for

this airplane

.

Leslie

H.

Bowman (who would later

become one

of

the first presidents

of

the National Aviation Training As

sociation) was a test

pilot

for Kinner

and personally took

delivery

of the

prototype

INF

on June

13, 1930.

t

that time, the aircraft bore an experi

mental

registration number, since ap

proved Type Certificate 345 wasn ' t

issued until August

of that

year. For

those who wonder

what

INF means,

Waco's designation

is

interpreted this

way: I represents

the

125-hp Kinner

B-5 engine; N was used

in

1930 to

represent open-cockpit

aircraft;

and

F denotes the aircraft series. Accord

ing to Teach,

the INFs

were known

as

the baby Fs

in

the Waco F series,

since they were smaller

than,

for in

stance,

the

UPFs.

Bowman drew some attention to

the new Waco by flying it in the 1930

National Air Races in Chicago just a

couple of months later.

He

won $300

by finishing in second place, with a


14/44

was also well

liked by

those

who

appreciated its

aerobatic agility, and it was used for

aerobatic training, as well as in the Ci

vilian Pilot Training Program. Nearly

SO

of

these three-place open-cockpit

biplanes were manufactured by Waco

in 1930

and

1931, and

they

sold for

around $4,400 or more, depending

upon the

customer's choice of op

tional equipment, which

included a

ground-adjustable metal propeller,

Heywood starter,

navigation

lights,

and

Hot Shot battery. n

engine

ring

cowl

and

wheelpants were also avail

able for

those who

desired a sleeker

machine and

a bit more speed.

Doug Smith, Andrew Flyboy King (pilot

of

the Waco INF for

our

photo shoot)

NC864V Yesterday

Ted

Teach,

Jack Tiffany, Herman Leffew,

and Jerry Pruden.

Kinner Airplane

Motor

Corpo

ration owned

the prototype INF for

about

seven months before selling

it

to

a

woman named

Elsie Bala,

of

Idaho. Not

much

is

known about

her,

except that

she retained ownership

of

the

biplane for about six years. Af-

ter that , several flying schools owned

it

during

the early to mid 1940s, in


15/44

Around

50

Waco INFs were buiH in

1930 and 1931.

the

back of one, along with this state-

The

INF

has

outrigger style gear legs.

ment:

I

purchased

the

airplane

for

$100

behind

a

hangar

in

northern

California

in

1961. Teach

wonders

who that person

was,

and who the

men in the photographs were.

Another

interesting

item

that

yields some history about this Model

INF is a

letter

that

W.T. Homan of

Santa Paula, California, typed on

De

cember 28, 1971,

to

a

Mr.

Beichtold.

In

part,

it says,

About

three

years

ago I bought

INF

Waco NC864V

Se

rial

Number

326S

. . . .

This

ship

was

new at Mines

Field

(now Interna

tional

Airport)

Los

Angeles

in

1930

and

I find that several of

my

friends

either learned to

fly

in

i t

or

soloed


16/44

The

INF

is

a

three place

biplane if

the front two passengers are small. The gold

pinstripe

around

the registration number

was

painted

by

hand.

I

mind

that

it's rare to find a line

boy

who can perform such a task), he de

cided

to

install

an

electrical system

and

starter in the biplane,

which

re

quired locating and installing a wind

generator and voltage regulator. Along

36

hours

a week,

with

90

percent

of

his time

on

this airplane.

Doug's enthusiasm for restoring old

airplanes was awakened several years

ago when he was working

at

a flight

school to build time to become an air

instigator of

the

Leading Edge Air

craft-Restorers of Old Flying Ma

chines group

in

Spring Valley, Ohio.

The

group is basically

composed

of

Tiffany and his wife, Kate; Herman

Leffew;

and

Don Siefer (and more


17/44

The

handcrafted

metal wheelpants

add a nice

finishing

touch

to this

193

Waco INF

Note

the

attention

to detail

where the

flying

and

landing

wires

join

the wing

interesting note

regarding the

cor

rect

tension ' for the flying wires,"

says Teach with a chuckle. "It says

in 1991,

and

Doug did a lot of the res-

toration work

on

that-it was an Osh

kosh winner about 10 years ago. Back

in

1969, I started a Pitts,

and

it took a

while to get it done," he says, eyes twin

kling

as

he laughs and adds, "I have a

on most any

airplane,

and

especially

so on the Waco INF Since pants

didn't

come with the Waco when Teach pur

chased it, he decided to ask Mark

Ken-

nison of D&D

Auto

Restoration in

Covington, Ohio, whether

or

not he


18/44

ach

aileron

extends all

the

way

to

the

wingtip

(HVLP) gravity-feed

paint

cup an d

gun, with excellent res ults. Smith

and Teach selected Randolph's bu

tyrate dope system for the fabric and

Randolph's Ranthane

for

the

metal

to obtain a good match between the

components, and they retained the

Waco INF's original colors-vermil

lion on the fuselage, with silver wings

and tail. They also researched the

black trim stripe, according to Smith,

who

explains

that

"depending on

what year your Waco was built, it had

a different design for

the

stripe,

and

we

found

that the

arrow was correct

for

1930."

The

instruments

were

overhauled

and

refaced,

and the instrument

Lessons Learned

If

you've ever helped restore

an

air

pl

ane,

yo u know firsthand that the

successful completion

of

a project nor

ma

ll

y takes longer

than

anticipated.

Teach reflects, "After all these years,

it's hard to make an estimate of how

long it'll take to finish a project. This

past January, I said 'Doug, I think we'll

have this done

the end

of the

month,'

and in February, I said the same thing.

I t was finished mid-June "

Smith agrees that it's easy to make

an optimistic estimate, especially in

the beginning. "When we first started

on

it, we both thought we'd have it

finished in a year, no problem. But

it took two

years

to

finish.

The im

portant thing

in

doing something

like this

is that if

you put

in the

time,

they come out

nice.

We could have

had

a flying airplane a lot faster

and

a lot

sooner

and, for Ted's sake, a lot

discovered

that

"it flies nothing like

a Stearman

It

jumps

off

the

ground

and flies like it's very light, although

it isn't that light. It has a good cruis

ing speed at 95 mph, and on grass it

lands and settles right down, but put

it

on

a hard top and

then

each land

ing can be exciting."

While Teach likes working on an air

craft restoration, he also loves flying the

finished product and sharing it with

those who are appreciative . He says he

enjoys "giving rides, because it's excit

ing for people. I remember taking some

Young Eagles in

my

Stearman, and

that usually makes kids pretty happy.

There were 10 of them that Saturday

afternoon,

and

most

had

a big smile.

In Monday's mail, I

had

a thank-you

note

from one

little

kid who

had

made

the

effort to find

my

address, go

home,

buy a card, and write a thank

you note-he

had

to have it

in

the


19/44

The 2007 official Vintage Airplane calendar is a collection

o

stunning

air-to-air aviation photography showcasing some o the most remarkable

airplanes

o

yesteryear. Each month features a classic aircraft that will

be prized by anyone who appreciates the grandeur

o

aviation. Detailed

narrative descriptions are provided with each image, plus "three-views" o

the featured planes. Each month also provides key events in aviation histor

y,

printed on the actual date o occurrence. This 14xll-inch, full-co lor wall

calendar is the perfect gi t or all VAA members and their families .

-

To order, mail your check/money order to:

VAA

2007 Calendar c/o Turner Publishing Company

P.O. Box 310 1 • Paducah, KY 42002-3101


20/44

hipmunks are just one of Chipmunk. It s a homegrown prod

through

the listing of

RAF

Bulldogs


21/44

e

their Moth trainer


22/44

No. 11 was given the

U K

registration

James says, I got

together

with plane

had,

so we continued research

of G-AKDN-the

on

ly registration it has

Dav

id

Gillespie,

and

we

both

liked

ing

it. We

checked

the

U.K. registry

carried for more than

S9

years.

the

Canadian

connection

the ai r - and

found the

ai

rplane

was listed

to a name in North Yorkshire, Eng

land: Philip Derry.

called

to verify

t hat it was there and, having recog

nized the last name, Derry, asked him


23/44

The

tightly

cowled

Gipsy Major 10 Mk2

was

a bit of a

headache as

as r . ~ u , ~ l l l n

registration was con

cerned

so the

Chipmunk

retains its

British

registration

tiny, squishy green airport-Bagby

Field in

North

Yorkshire.

It

looked as

if th ere should be signs saying 'Hob

bit Crossing.'

It

was a perfect place for

a Chipmunk.

It

was no coincidence that Philip

even more

evident

in the fact that

he

isn 't,

and

never has

been,

a pilot.

That and

the

fact

that

he

didn't

tell

his girlfriend-soon-to-be-wife

that

he

had bought the airplane.

It

was, as he

phrased it, An impulse buy.

The wing fuel

tanks

feature the filler

neck

and

mechanical fuel gauge all in

one unit

difficulty they

had

in trying to get

primary

flight

training

locally

in the

Chipmunk for Phil and his sons only

added

another

reason for

him

to let

the plane go.

I called David

and

told

him the


24/44

but

quite

another when

it's in Eng

land

and you're in Canada, plus the

airplane is registered in England. Both

areas present their own problems.

James says, "Even before we

went

over to retrieve

the

airplane, it was ob

vious that re-registering the airplane

in Canada was going to be a paper

work nightmare, wh ich

is

exactly the

way it turned out. The shipping of the

airplane had its

own

headaches, but

they were more manageable."

Moving a foreign-registered air

plane

across the Atlantic is not for

the faint of heart. t would be a ma

jor challenge for

anyone,

much less

two private pilots who had no idea

what

they

were get ting into. James is

a mathemat ics professor,

and

David

is

the creative director

at an

ad agency,

neither of which

prepared

them for

what they were about to attempt.

However, enthusiasm

almost

always

overcomes inexperience.

Their enthusiasm, however, was

further augmented by good fortune:

Tom

Coates,

an

engineer who had

built up his

own private

de Havil

land

air force over

the

years and had

shipped numerous airplanes across

the pond, was literally in their back

yard . He

possessed

the experience

they were lacking, plus lent them the

special attachment

hardware

they'd

There Are Chipmunks

and

ThenThere

Is

No 11

In the

course of

putting their

little beauty back in

the

air,

the

David-James team discovered on their airplane a number of items

that

differed from

the

usual Chipmunk. For one thing,

it

has

the

original Canadian-designed "bird cage canopy

that

was adopted

on the O.K.-produced airplanes (around 1,100 in total) but wasn't

used on

the

rest of

the

Canadian-produced

Munks

(just

more

than

200 produced), which have the distinctive blown bubble. The

rear side panels of their canopy were originally

fiat but

they were

"bubbled ouf during the

RAF

evaluation process to allow the pilot

to

move his head further sideways.

The landing gear also has a number of characteristics

that set

it

apart

.In the UK. production models, the landing gear legs are

canted forward a few inches to improve stability on the ground

roll, but

on Canadian production models

the gear is

in

the

origi

nal position,as on No.n and all early pre-production versions.

Also,

the

airplane has small, streamlined fairings around

the

need to secure the airframe in the 40

foot shipping container.

He

said they

could do it. They felt th ey could do it.

So

they were

on

their way.

David says,

When

my wife, Karen,

James,

and

I checked

in

at

the

airport

to

leave, we were

each carrying 60

pounds of slings and brackets for pick

ing up

and then

securing the airplane

in a shipping container."

When

we got to England," David

says, "we flew

the

airplane a couple of

times,

which

was really stressful We

had

already committed to the

pur

chase with a

down

payment,

and

we

had

to make a 'go/no-go' decision be

fore we took

the

next

step

.

Neither

of us had

more than

an

hour

's

time


25/44


26/44

back at Saskatoon, where they looked

at it closely.

James says, The

airplane

was in

good condition,

no

corrosion or any

thing like that,

although

the fab

ric on the wings could probably use

some work. Actually, as we were

to

find

out, i t

needed a lot of

work.

What was curious was

that as the

air

plane sat in our hangar, the 40-below

weather caused the paint to flake off,

and it left a shadow of

the

airplane

on the floor in paint chips.

When they got ready to approach

the registration issue, they knew they

had a lot of work to do. Among other

things, the airplane, when built in

Canada, had a Gipsy Major

lC

engine,

but when it was being prepped for

the RAF trainer competition (the only

other entrant was the Fairey Primer),

the engine was changed

to

a Gipsy

Major 10 Mk2. This didn't go down

well with Transport Canada, and the

possibilities of getting it re-registered

were getting dimmer and dimmer.

By that time, we were already

looking at paint schemes, and every

time we

thought

about changing

the

G-AKDN,

which is what it was known

as

since it arrived

in England, to

a

Canadian CF number,

it just didn't

look right in our minds. The airplane

had

originally been

natural

alumi-

num

with some

stripes,

and

it had

been painted perhaps

sometime

in

the '60s, but we wanted it in its orig

inal

1947 scheme,

which

is what

i t

was wearing when it pioneered

the

RAF adoption in 1949.

Somewhere along

the

line, while

we were stripping

the

paint and pol

ishing the aluminum, which took 200

hours, by the way, we decided the best

way to keep the airplane looking origi

nal was to leave it registered in England

and fly it here in English registration.

There was simply too much history to

lose by changing the numbers.

We could only keep it registered

in the U.K.

if

we were working with

an English-licensed

engineer

and a

U.K.-approved maintenance organiza

tion in Canada. Once again, luck was

with us, and we managed to have Tom

Coates' aviation company in Saska

toon

approved,

and

we engaged Gra

ham Fox to oversee the paperwork and

ultimately

come

over from England

to

conduct inspections. Also, Philip

Derry wanted to maintain his connec

tion

with

the

airplane, so he's one of

our partners, and we have successfully

preserved

the

English registration.

James says,

When the

aircraft orig

inally came

out

of its shipping con

tainer, in August 2002, and we flew

it , over 55 years had elapsed since it

initially left the country. Although i t

flew like a charm, we knew we had our

maintenance work cut out for us. It

was disassembled and worked on un

til May of 2004, when it underwent

its 'Star Inspection,' which is required

every three years for English-registered

aircraft. It

is

sort of a super-duper an

nual. Graham came over and worked

with Tom Coates to do the work.

The test flight after this inspec

tion

was something really special

because we had George Neal, then

86 years old

and

still flying his own

Chipmunk, do the flight. George was

the de Havilland Canada Chipmunk

chief

production

test

pilot who did

the very first flight on No. 11 back in

1947. It was a thrilling day for us.

When the project was finished and

the airplane was flying, James and Da

vid found they had created much more

than simply a wonderful airplane.

Graham comes to visit quite often,

both

for inspections

and to

go

hunt-

ing. Ultimately we expect to host an

extended visit by Phil Derry

and

his

family,

and flying will be on the agenda.

The entire project has been fun with

one of the major side benefits being the


27/44

Which one will

anta o

for first

A24

what

every

experienced pilot

wants

Make

sure

Icom

sA24

Nav/Com or A6 Com only

is

on your holiday

list this year. Reliable quality and

features

that any

Santa would love

to

carry along

on

all

upcoming

journeys .

FliP

-

FloP

PLUS is

the

easy

way

to

toggle between

your

last

10 frequencies

or

pre-program

in up to 10

channels

for

your next

trip .pilot

friendly

features

that

your

anta will

find

irresistible


28/44

Nylon

Sporting Shirt

Comfort

and

versatility

are

strong style features

of this VAA logo shirt. Made of 100% nylon,

mesh

lining

and

embroidered black logo. Comes

in

long

sleeve

that

c n be rolled or short

sleeve.

Short

Sleeve ~

2.95

Long Sleeve

~ 6 9 5

V07078 MD V07082 MD

V07079

LG

V07083 LG

V07080

XL

V07084

XL

V07081 2X 2X

Logo Jlankets t2l5

This soft fleece

blanket

is the

coziest cover-up

you'll

find. Machine washable, 80%

cotton

20%

polyester, and

is a

generous 4.5

x 6.5'.

Choose from four

beautiful pastel colors.

V07396

Aqua

V07397

Sun

V07398

Columbia Blue

V07399 Pink

Airplane f-shirts

16.99

From hi-wing to bi-wing, how many air

craft can you name?

Made with 100%

pre-shrunk

cotton, comes

in

2 colors.

Stone Blue Jade

V07921 SM V07916 SM

V07922 MD V07917

MD

V07923 LG V07918 LG

V07924 XL V07919 XL

t19.99

Jade

V07920 2X

Autogyro f-shlrt

t16.99

Miss Champion autogyro flies

past

the Pitcaim

hangar and

embodies the

words It's not

just

a

ifestyle it's an

Adventure.' Machine washable,

made

ultra-cotton.

MD

LG

One

size fits

most.

V07504 Maroon

V07505 Khaki

' ftll:lI

.,.j\U

ap

Embroidered

VAA logo

gives

this

navy

cap its style.

frts

most.

V07257


29/44

TO

ORDER: 1·8 ·843·3612

or

online at

http://shop eaa org

From

u s

llId Canada oChers 920 426 5912

Wotttet1 s

Kt1it Jacket

58.95

Feeling like a second

skin, this 100

machine-washable

cotton knit

top

stretches

to

make the

most

comfortable

•

weater/jacket you will own. Navy collar,

navy

stripe on

cuff,

and

navy logo accent the horizon blue jacket.

Black

top

has silver embroidered logo.

Horizon Blue Black

V07147 SM V07151

V07148

MD

V07152

V07149 LG V07153

V07150 XL 54

This season the

VAA

offers you

the

best

in fall

jackets.

Tone-on-tone embroidered

logo looks

distinctive

on this

n i ,t\'l\eS

\.\Wl\'ledv Ua t28.95

The

tone-on-tone

VAA

logo creates

a most

impressive

look to

these

ultra soft

sweaters.

Four

deep

fall colors are perfect for adding adistinctive look to

jeans or chinos.

You'll

want to wear it

everyday.

Dark

Cherry

Dark Denim Off

White

Dark Sage

V07357 MD V07358 MD V07359 MD V07360 MD

V07973 L V07976

LG

V07979

LG

V07982 LG

V07974 XL V07977 XL V07980 XL V07983 XL

V07975 2X V07978 2X V07981 2X _ ......

V07984

2X

tSl99

Long sleeve

dress shirt made

of 60

cotton

and

40 polyester is

comfortable for

the

work

week.

Front and

back darts

make

this

shirt taylored

for

agreat business

look, perfect

with

pants

or

Light

Blue

(blue

logo)

Burgundy (khaki

logo)

V07807 SM V07811 SM

V07808

MD

V07812

MD

V07809

LG

V07813

LG

V07814 XL

http:///reader/full/http://shop.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/http://shop.eaa.org


30/44

I Love

you

like

to fly?/I

t

times it s

tough to

put it

into words,

and all you

seem to

be

attempt

to

explain the

remark-

able experience

that is

personal flight.

Hugh Homing as put his thoughts into

words,

and

perhaps he

can

help all ofus fill in

the

blanks when someone asks

you,

Hey, what s flying all about?/I-H.G.

Frautschy

Horsemen

say that

when leaming to

ride

the

novice becomes a rider

when he or

she is

in

control of the horse

and

the horse knows it.

t is

much the same with a

pilot and his

plane.

The

student becomes an avia-

tor when he fully controls

the plane

and is

in

con-

trol in

any

situation

The Challenge of Flying

Broaden your flight-maneuvering

expertise to handling weather, navi

gation, radio communications, flight

regulations, emergency procedures,

etc., and you begin to understand why

Sbiving

for

Proficiency

and

Professionalism

Proficiency and professionalism

are the pilot's continuing but never

perfectly-achievable goals. Apart from

the

personal satisfaction one gets by

constant improvement in his flying,

there is another great benefit: the in

creased assurance of staying alive. Un

like most vocations

and

avocations, a

careless attitude or action, a misjudg

ment, or a mistake can cost you your

life ... quickly and with

absolute

cer

tainty.

I

don't

mean to be melodra

matic

or

suggest that flying is unsafe,

but

it is only

as

safe

as

the attitude

and

proficiency of the pilot. Federal laws,

regulations, inspections, and periodic

proficiency checks all work to assure

that

only

properly trained

and

cur

rently proficient pilots are granted cer

tificates (licenses) to

fly.

way from always using your pre-, dur

ing-,

and

post-flight checklists to fol

lowing the aphorism

"When

in doubt,

don't "

regardless

of

whether the

doubt relates to the

condition of

the

pilot,

the

plane, or

the environment.

A sign sometimes seen at

the

exits of

airport parking lots reads, Be careful,

you are

now

leaving the safety of fly-

ing." How true Flying is much safer

than driving, bicycling,

and

other rou

tine pursuits, according to statistics.

General

Aviation s

Broad Scope

General

aviation,

which includes

everything except airline

and

military

flying, has had

an

ever-improving

safety record over the

past

12 years.

General aviation includes such diverse

commercial flying activities as corpo

rate transportation, crop dusting, fish

scouting, pipeline inspection, ban

ner tOWing, flight instruction, char


31/44

The

Technical Versus Aesthetic

Appeals

of

Flying

As you might surmise, one of the

great challenge-appeals of flying

is

its

all-consuming

involvement and

test

ing of one s physical, intellectual,

and

emotional qualities. One must develop

and apply

these

qualities

with

disci

pline, balance,

and

grace

to the three

outside-the-self entities:

the

aircraft,

the physical environment,

and the

sit

uation at hand.

If all this sounds ordered and techni

cal,

don t

be misled, because the other

great appeal of flying

is

the almost over

whelming sense of freedom and beauty

it bestows sometimes bordering

on

the spiritual or mystic. There have been

times, when flying alone, that I have lit

erally burst into song-so moved and in

spired was I to

be

as free as the proverbial

bird, soaring in the heavens far removed

from earthly restraints and obstacles.

It is difficult to describe the elation

and awe one feels while flying in

an

azure sky, as the red-orange sun is ris

ing over the hills and valleys filled with

morning mists. Or to be able to see 100

miles in all directions on a crystal clear

day, from the white surf of the ocean

to the purple inland

mountain

ranges.

The beauty of flight transcends all other

aspects of flying.

Flying Teaches bout ute

inGeneral

There are also many benefits that

fly-

ing brings to one s life in general, apart

from the obvious quick and convenient

transportation and the kind of plea

sures already described. Flying teaches,

GET

TH SKILLS

TO

GET

IT

BUILT

AT EM SPORTAIR

WORKSHOPS

GET

YOUR HOMEBUILDING PROJECT OFF

THE

GROUND

BY SIGNING UP FOR

EAA'S SPORTAIR WORKSHOPS

DEC

1-3

DEC 2-3

JAN

2 -22

W

PAlM

BEACH,

Fl

•

Repa

i

rman

lSA) Inspection

-

Airplane

CORONA, CA

• RV s s e m b ~

WPAlM BEACH,

Fl

•

Repairman

ISA)

Inspection-Airplane


32/44

to determine present position, one starts

by looking at the big picture-scanning

the distance first for prominent large

landmarks such as mountains, rivers, cit

ies,

etc. and relating these to the charts.

You

then narrow down position by look

ing at more specific detailed landmarks

such as highways, lakes, railroad tracks,

and

relating these to the chart. And fi-

nally, you narrow down position by re-

lating a quarry, outdoor movie, bridge,

racetrack, or road intersection to the

chart and pinpoint your position. Such

an

approach of always starting with the

big picture and then looking to the de

tails

is

a sound one for handling any sit

uation one encounters in life. Otherwise,

we fall into the dilemma of not seeing

the forest for the trees.

On the other hand, one must

not

ig-

nore the details.

f

you're flying at night

on

a course where there

is

a 4,000-foot

mountain,

and

you let your altitude

drift down to 3,900 feet because of in

attention or downdrafts, you might be

in for a rude awakening (or in this case,

the opposite of awakening). Closely al

lied to the principle of being attuned to

one's environment (position) is the cor

ollary of seeing what

is

there,

not

seeing

what you want to be there. It's common

for student pilots to get lost when flying

cross-country for the first time because

they have a preconceived idea of where

they should be. They will strain to find

on

the

ground the radio tower or lake

that their flight course line on the chart

says should be there. It may

not

be there

because the plane

has

veered far off

course or is either ahead or behind es-

timated position because of winds that

have changed or were incorrectly esti

gasoline in the clear plastic sampling

container. In this instance there was no

globule; just clear liquid, presumably

gasoline. But upon closer inspection, I

found that 98 percent of the clear liquid

was water with only a small surface layer

of gasoline That was not

what

I was ex

pecting,

and

I almost overlooked it.

f

I

had concluded from that non-globule

sample that the gasoline was not con

taminated and taken off,

chances

are

that amount of water in the fuel would

have caused the engine to quit at a criti

cal time during takeoff.

So,

we

don t

ig-

nore the details and make sure we see

what is really there rather than what we

expect or want to be there.

The

ocial

spects

of

Flying

In addition to the personal challenge

and gratification

one

gets from

the

act of flying,

there

are also social

and

cultural benefits.

The

most pervasive

of these is

the

camaraderie that exists

among pilots ..an almost mystical bond

that pilot-author Ernest

Gann

chose

as

the theme for his novel

Band Broth-

ers

This camaraderie manifests itself in

many ways on a social level, from mem

bership and

activity in various flying

organizations to participation in fly-ins,

safety seminars, community flying proj

ects, and just plain hangar flying, where

pilots get together informally to tell tall

tales and discuss airplanes and airman

ship for hours on end.

Foremost

among

these social activi

ties is Oshkosh,

the

cryptic description

of the world's largest flying event: the

Experimental Aircraft Association's an

nual international aviation convention

and fly-in, held at Oshkosh, Wiscon

Similar but smaller fly-ins are held

throughout the United States during

the other times of the year. During the

social flying season from roughly April

through October, the flying enthusi

ast can attend a fly-in or other aviation

event within reasonable distance almost

every weekend. A pilot's range of inter

ests includes not only the pleasure of

aerial solitude but also the fun of social

izing with the band of brothers

and

sis-

ters. And, interestingly enough, one of a

pilot's greatest pleasures

is

to introduce

or share the love of flying with non-fli

ers.

Few

experiences rival that of seeing

the expressions of awe, wonder,

and

ela

tion on a youngster 's face during a first

flight. EAA s Young Eagles program has

given more than a million

and

a quar

ter flight experiences to youngsters the

world over, and more are added to the

world's largest logbook each day.

The Diverse

ppeal

of Flying

The focus

of my

flying interests

is

the golden

age

of

flying ...

the

period

of

the

1930s

through

the World War

II years. The romance of

the

era, as ex

emplified by

the

barnstormers, airmail

pilots,

racing

pilots, early

airline

pi

lots, and combat pilots is beyond com

parison. Perhaps it is because

the

pilot

(the

human

factor) was

predominant

as opposed

to

the technological. t also

strikes me

that the

aircraft of that era

were more diverse and were more works

of art and individuality than mechani

cal marvels or technical triumphs. This

is

a highly subjective and personal view

point and is in no way disparaging of

the high-tech aerospace and avionic de

velopments that are so ubiquitous in


33/44

Norma

Joyce pictured

with her granddaughter

Mikaela

Ann Kamsch who

s now 5 years

old and

says she just loves flying.

NonnaJoyce

Greensboro, NC 27425

• President of AUA

Inc. since

1986

• Post

Treasurer

for EAA Chapter 8

in GSO, NC

• Vintage Chapter 3 Boord of

Directors and Secretory for 2007

AUA

Inc.

wishes

you

a

Joyful Holiday

Season

"

We

thank you for your support and loyalty.

In

2007,

we

look forward to

continue offering you the best insurance coverages, pricing, and service

through your Vintage Insurance Program."

-

Norma

oyce


34/44

H.G.

FRAUTSCHY AND BILL SCHLAPMAN

A

Drive

in

the Clouds The

Story

the

Aerocar

By Jake Schultz

The story of the Aerocar has been a long time coming, but

it's well worth the wait. Jake Schultz took literally years to

re-

search

nd

write this book, which was published this summer

by Flying Books International.

Schultz,

n

engineer with Boeing, had the good fortune to

become friends with

both

Molt and Lillian Neil Taylor, who

opened

up

their archive for research

into the

Aerocar proj

ects,

as

well

as m ny

other fascinating projects worked on by

Molt Taylor during his long

nd

prolific aviation career. The

book takes the time to

fill

in many of the details of Molt's life,

things that would all contribute to make the Aerocar, the IMP,

Coot, and other projects come to fruition. Taylor's creation of

the Aerocar was the closest we ever got to full-scale produc

tion of a road able vehicle, even when aerospace giants such

as

Convair got into the act. That

was

due in part to the incredible

dedication to the concept by Molt and Lillian,

who

did their

best to bring the Aerocar to life over most of their careers. Side

bars throughout the book highlight the personal involvement

of many others in the Aerocar projects throughout the years,

including personal remembrances by Carl Gladen, one of the

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ = = = ~ = ~ = ~ ~ = ~

Aerocar's early distributors

nd the

producer of

the

Aerocar

plastic model.

Also

detailed are the near-misses

as

Taylor did

his best to get the Aerocar into production, but a combination

of poor management

on

the part of one producer, along with

excessively high production cost estimates by others, kept the

Aerocar's production very limited.

There

is plenty

of

new

material here to enjoy,

nd

some

you'll shake your head at

as

you realize

th t but

for a

few

mis

guided individuals intent

on

making quick money, the

Aero-

car would have made it into prodUction,

nd

we'd be seeing

it

as

a vintage airplane, rather

th n n

interesting novelty.

Available

in

both softbound

nd

a limited edition of hard

back editions,

A

Drive in the l o u d s ~ T Story

the Aerocar

ISBN:

0-9725249-2-4)

is

available

through EAA nd other

aviation booksellers, including Historic Aviation

www.His-

Superfljte tM

System I

BUTYR TE

SYSTEM

ffJI£ -

INT GE

L NES

Classic

Finish

for Classic

Airplanes

Since 1949

Ma Y Origiltll

Manufacturer's colors

are

available. Give your

Vintage

Aircraft an·award·winning, onginal finish with unlimited color choices.

Covering

materials price

for

standard

vintage aircraft

approximately

3500

Purchase

the entire kit

and

receive

10% discount.


35/44

well

documented. A

few

surprises are in

the pages; for instance,

we

all know that

the PT series trainers were built in Wich

ita, but how many of us knew

that the

same company also built many of the

Cold War's Boeing

B-47

and

B-52

bomb

ers when it became a division of Boeing?

The book

is

also profusely illustrated

with

color photos in Appendix

A.

If

there is one section of the book I would

like to have seen done better, it's this,

because

the

color

photos

suffer from

poor quality control by the printer dur

ing

the

layout

and printing

process,

with a

number

of

them

marred by

an

excessive

amount of magenta

ink . In

addition to

the

color-photo section, a

handy set of reference drawings created

by Kenneth D. Wilson,

noted

drafts

man is published in Appendix E. It's

just what's needed for modelers and en

thusiasts of the

PT

series trainers.

Also

in

that

set are Peter Westburg's Stea

rman 4E drawings.

Hardbound, Stearman

Aircraft:

A De-

tailed

History (ISBN: 1-58007-087-6) is

available from EAA and other booksellers,

including the publisher, Specialty Press:

www

.Spe

cialtyPress.com or 800-895-4585.

Retail

price

is

$39.95 plus shipping.

The Untold Story ofLindbergh s

1927 1928 Good Will

Tours

By

Ev Cassagneres

Wow Ev Cassagneres'

companion

book to his

The

Untold

Story of the

Spirit

ofSt.

Louis

is

an equally impressive work,

the compilation of decades of research

begun back in the 1960s. Cassagneres

was fortunate to live in Connecticut

and

after

the

intercession

of

a mutual

friend, he and Lindbergh met in 1968,

host of South

American

countries

all

were visited by Lindbergh flying

the

Spirit. Organized and funded by the Dan

iel Guggenheim Fund, Lindbergh's avia

tion evangelical message was

brought

to cow towns

and

big cities with equal

enthusiasm. Lindbergh exhorted local

officials to invest in airports and the in

frastructure to boost

both

aviation and

the local economy.

Each of the tour stops

is

described in

detail, with nearly every stop also docu

mented by a photo or two. Cassagneres'

indefatigable work to gather this infor

mation took great dedication, and he has

patiently woven it into a quite readable

book that

is

both entertaining and infor

mative. Included in the book is a fold-out

map with all of the tour flights shown.

You can purchase an autographed

copy of The Untold Story of Lindbergh s

1927 1928

Good

Will

Tours

(ISBN:

1

57510-125-4) from its author by writing

to him at Ev Cassagneres, 420 Budding

Ridge Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. For

more

information

you

can

give

him

a call at 203-272-2127,

but

be advised

that he

cannot

accept credit cards. The

cost is

$29.95,

shipping within the

United States.

The

Pietenpol

Story

By

Chet Peek

Review by William

J.

Schlapman

Chet Peek's newest book The Pi-

etenpol

Story to my knowledge,

is

the

first and only book available

on

the life

of B.H. "Bernie" Pietenpol and the Pi

etenpol Air Camper. He's th e pioneer

developer of a very successful auto en

gine-powered homebuilder airplane.

Created during the Great Depression,

today.

As shown by

Chet,

another

en

abler for

the

amateur builder was basic

wood construction. Wood was used for

both cost and familiarity to the build

ers.

Chet

gives a firsthand

report

as

he

reveals his personal efforts

during

his curren t building of a Pietenpol Air

Camper,

which

includes

the

Model A

Ford engine. In fact, he interrupted his

project to write the book.

In the post-World War II era, new

generations of automobiles

were de

veloped and marketed. The Chevrolet

Corvair, powered by a

rear-mounted

air-cooled engine was

introduced

in

the late 1950s. Here again, Bernie recog

nized a special opportunity and in 1960

adapted the six-cylinder, air-cooled Cor

vair

engine

to

the

Air Camper-more

horsepower, less weight. Improved per

formance It's all detailed in the chapter

on

Corvair Power.

Air Campers were never sold as kit

planes in

the

currently accepted sense.

Kits

offered by Bernie were bundles of

selected woods in appropriate sizes and

specially modified parts for the Model A

engine conversion. Some builders make

convenience or comfort modifications,

but normally

they

stick closely

to the

time-proven plans.

There are active Pietenpol clubs or

groups that extend the pleasures of own

ing and flying Air Campers.

All

are cov

ered in the closing chapters. An annual

gathering at Brodhead, WisconSin-pre

ceding

EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh-is

particularly interesting.

In addition

to

The Pietenpol Story,

Chefs

books include

The Heath

Story,

Flying

With

40 Horses, The

First

Cub, Res-

urrection ofa Jenny,

The

Taylorcraft Story,

http:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.comhttp:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.comhttp:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.comhttp:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.comhttp:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.comhttp:///reader/full/www.SpecialtyPress.com


36/44

I was in a pilot briefing room, one

dark gray day,

getting

the

weather

from

the WSI

station

when I over

heard the following conversation be

tween

an

elderly

gentleman and

a

young

man who appeared to be in

his 20s.

The

gray-haired fellow was

saying: " . . but what

about

best loi

ter

speed?

Wouldn

' t we want to use

that speed in a glide,

once

we had

our landing site below us?"

The young man replied: "No There

is

only

one speed to use once

the

en

gine has failed, and

that

is the best

glide speed

as

published in the POH .

That glide speed

is

also known

as the

best lift over drag (LID) speed . t is

that

speed alone that will give you

the

best glide performance because

that

is

where the two curves for para

site drag

and

induced drag intersect."

I was eager to hear

the

response

to

that.

Whereas

the term best loiter

speed" was a

new one to

me, I cer

tainly was well familiar with

the

term

Y DOUG

STEW RT

est glide

their animated discussion, I

noticed

that

the

younger

man was wearing a

shirt identifying

him as

an instructor

with

the local flight

school.

I must

admit

that

I was

taken

aback. I

had

surely thought

the

elderly gentleman

was

the

instructor who was trying

to lead his client, through a Socratic

method, to a better understanding of

the

subtleties of what to do when the

engine quits

and the

airplane

sud

denly turns into a glider.

No

There

is only

one glide speed to

us

e,

and that is

,

as

I

said

,

the

be

st

speed as published

the

pilot's operating handbook

(PO

H)

for

the

aircraft. But for those of us

fly-

ing

older aircraft that

don't

have a

POH (and

might

not even have much

of

an

operator's handbook,

for

that

matter) a published source of this air

speed

might

not exist.

f that is the case, then using the best

rate of climb speed y) for your aircraft

as your best glide speed will certainly

have you close to your best

LID

speed.

We would most definitely use

this

airspeed

i f

the

engine

has ceased

to

function while we are

at

altitude

and

have some

distance

to cover as we

glide to a suitable landing site . t is

the

glide speed

that

will allow us to

maximize

the distance covered in a

glide. Let us also remember that even

if we have that speed published in a

POH or owner's

manual

,

that

speed,

as published, is determined for use

when at maximum gross weight.

Seeing

as how

too

many

of

the

en

gine

failures

that pilots experience


37/44

the question the elderly gentleman

at

the start

of

this

article

had been

posing. If distance to cover is

no

lon

ger

an

issue, wouldn't

our

ability

to

maximize our

time in the

air, relative

to altitude, be of greatest concern?

G ider pilots are very conversan t

with this speed as they seek to maxi

mize their time in a thermal, and they

refer to it

as

minimum sink speed. Un

fortunately,

it is

a speed that

we

power

pilots will probably never see in

our

POHs. (At least I

have yet to

see

it

there.) A good way to approximate that

speed

is

to multiply

the

"clean" stall

speed V

S1

) by 1.2. This should afford

most pilots their best minimum sink

speed, maximizing their time aloft.

Let's

also

consider some of the

other things that we can do to max

imize (or

minimize,

if we find

our-

selves too high)

our

glide.

Certainly

our

configuration

will have a major

effect on glide

performance.

Flaps

(oops, I guess

that

leaves my Super

Cruiser

out) as well as

gear

i f you

have a retractable gear airplane) can

be used to

contro

l

our

descent rate.

Certainly

getting

dirty

will allow

us to descend much more rapidly, if

we find ourselves high. (In fact, my

Cardinal RG will rival a

grand piano

in its glide once

the

flaps are fully de

ployed and the gear is down.)

However, if we find ourselves get

ting low on our fin

al

approach

Date post:	07-Aug-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	aviationspace-history-library
View:	218 times
Download:	0 times

Vintage Airplane - Dec 2006

Documents