\\ I,c;5ii sur: _111

~

Restorer'SCorner $11

.J. R. NIELANOER .JR. Some months ago we discussed in this column the

advantages of building a replica of our favorite antique or classic design when a restorable basket case was not available . That particular column brought forth more comment and suggestions from you members than the sum total of all of the other" Restorer's Corners" writ­ten to date. Apparently we hit upon a vital point, and we were very happy to learn that we had . All of the replies were very favorable, and some members were kind enough to send along information concern ing where certain plans could be obtained, or who might happen to have a full or partial set for a particular air­plane. We assure you that all of the information supplied has been cataloged for future reference, but we are a long way from having a complete file on all of the old designs which could conceivably become popular rep­licas.

A reasonable start wou Id be to catalog the names and addresses of the suppliers of copies of original plans which are commercially available at the present time. To accomplish this initial task, we need your help. If you have bought any copies of original plans, please send us th e name and address of the supplier. Also, those of you who are offering copies of original plans commercially please send us your names and addresses and tell us what

plans you have for sale. As soon as sufficient informa­tion is forwarded to us, we shall run th e listings in a future issue of THE VI NTAGE AI RPLANE and plan to update it thereafter on an annual basis. With your help we can have the most complete and accurate informa­tion available anywhere.

We hope that, with the help of all of you who have plans or information, we shall be able to compile a list of available drawings which will have sufficient diversifica­tion so that there will be something of interest for every­one. Wouldn't it be great to see many of the almost extinct, but not forgotten, airplanes of the 30's back in the sky again, or a whole squadron of World War I fighters fly by in formation?

This year we would like to publish reports and pic­tures of all of the Antique/Classic Fly-Ins around the country. However, to accomplish this we shall need the help of local chapter reporters and photographers, as your editor and his staff can not possibly attend all of the fly-ins, even though they would certainly like to try. Now is the time for each of you fly-in chairmen to estab­lish your press coverage committee and staff it with your best reporter and your best photographer. Please be sure to remind your photographer to use black and white film and to send us glossy prints, preferably 4 x 5 inches in size or larger. Please ask your reporter to write a story telling about all of the interesting things which happe ned at your fly-in. We all would like to know abo ut what went on as well as reading the list of trophy winners. Here is your chance to get the best possible free public­ity for your fly-in. And while we are talkin g about free publicity, please send us the dates and other important information concerning your planned fly-in this year. We need over ninety days lead time on everyth ing we print, so the sooner you get the information to us, the sooner you will start getting that free pUblicity.

NOMINATIONS FOR ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

I n accordance with the division By- Laws as amended, the terms of two officers and four directors will expire at the 1977 EAA Antique/Classic Division Annual Busi­ness Meeting to be held on August 6, 1977 at Oshkosh, Wisconsin , during the 25th I nternational Fly-I n Conven­tion. Those offices which will expire are:

VICE-PRESIDENT Jack C. Winthrop TREASURER E.E. "Buck" Hilbert DIRECTORS William J. Ehlen

Claude L. Gray, Jr. James B. Horne George E. Stubbs

All of th e incumbents have indicated that th ey will be candidates for reelection. Additional nominations for these offices shall be made on official nomination forms obtainable from the Headquarters of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc., P. O. Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. The nominating petition shall include a recent photograph of the candidate and shall contain a brief resume of his background and experience. Can­didates must have been members of the EAA Antique/ Classic Division in good standing for the previous two consecutive yea rs. Each petition requires a minimum of ten (10) signatures of Antique/Classic Division members in good standing with their Division membership number and expiration date .

Nominating petitions must be submitted to the Chair­man of the Nominati ng Committee, EAA Antique/ Classic Division, c/o EAA Headquarters no later than March 9, 1977. Voting instructions and proced ures will be published in a later issue of THE VINTAGE AIR­PLANE.

Arthur R. Morgan , Chairman No minating Committee

Editorial Staff

Ed itor Assistant Editor AI Kelch Lois Kelch

Associat~ Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor H. Glenn Buffington Robert G. Elliott Edward D. Williams

81 8 W. Crockett St. No. 201 1227 Oakwood Ave. 713 Eastman Dr. Seattle, Washington 98119 Daytona Beach, Florida 32014 Mt. Prospect, Illinois 60056

Associate Editors will be identified in the table of con· tents on articles they send in and repeated on the artic le if they have written it. Associate Editorships will be assigned to those who qualify (5 articles in any calendar year).

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISI,ON OFFICERS

PRESIDENT J.R. NIELANDER, JR.

P,O. BOX 2464 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33303

VICE·PRESIDENT JACK WI NTH ROP

RT, 1, BOX 111 ALLEN, TX 75002

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER

P,O, BOX 181 LYONS, WI 53148

TREASURER E.E. "BUCK" HILBE:RT

8102 LEECH RD, UNION, IL 60180

Directors

Claude L. Gray. Jr . AI KelCh 9635 Sy lvia Avenue 7018 W. Bonn iwell Road

Northridge, California 91324 Mequon, Wisconsin 53092

James B. Horne Evander M. Britt 3840 Coronation Road Box 152 5

Eagan, Minnesota 55 122 Lumber ton. North Carolina 28358

George E. Stubbs M. C. "Kelly" V iets Box 113 RR 1, Box 151

Brownsburg. Indiana 46112 Stillwell, Kansas 66085

William J. Ehlen Morton Lester Route 8, Box 506 P.O. Bo. 37 47

Tampa, Florida 33618 Martinsville. Virginia 241 12

Advisors

W. Brad Thomas. Jr. Oale A. Gustafson 301 Dodson Mill Road 7724 Shady Hill Drive

Pilot Mountain. North Carolina 27041 Indianapolis. IN 46274

Robert A. Whi te Roger J. Sherron 1207 Falcon Drive 446-C Las Casitas

Orlando, Florida 32803 Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Maunce "Sonny" Clavel Stan Gomoll Box 98 104290th Lane, N.E.

Wauchula, F L 33875 Minneapol is, MN 55434

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

ANTIQUE / CLASSIC DIVISION

of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

FEBRUARY 1977 VOLUME 5 NUMBER 2

The Restorer's Corner . . . . " . . ,""" " " ", . "' ," "" ', . ,, . ,'" The Lincoln Flies . . , ... """ """"""' , ... . , "" " "", .. , ' 3 Knight Night Flight. , . , , . , , , , , , . , , , . , , , .. , . , , . , , , , , , , ... . .. , .. " 6 "Let's Get The Show On The Road" (by H, Glenn Buffingto n, Assoc, Ed.) . " 7 Vintage Album " " ,. , "' , . . ,', . . ,.,., ... ," ." " ""', .. , . .. . 11 A Si lver Eagle (by Robert Elliott, Assoc. Ed ,) , . ," " "" ", . ,. , ... . . , 13

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP

o NON·EAA MEMBER - $34,00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division. 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa­tion , 12 monthly issues of SPORT AVIATION and separate membership cards.

o NON·EAA MEMBER - $20.00, Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12 month ly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; (;ne year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa­tion and separate membership cards. SPORT AVIATION not included.

o EAA MEMBER - $14,00, Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membership card . (Applicant must be current EAA member and must give EAA membership number.

PICTURE BOX ON THE COVER (Back Cover)

jim Hayden's Lincoln PT- W flies at The B& W- l A in flight during the last. See story page 3, tour o f the East. Flo wn by Clayton

Leigh Scott, See story page 7,

Copyright © 1977 Antique Classic Aircraft, Inco All Rights Reserved .

THE VINTAGE A IRPLAN E is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc. and is published monthly at Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53 130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners POSt Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53 130. Membership rates for Antique Class Aircraft. Inc. at $14.00 per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the publicat ion of TH E V INTAGE A IRPLANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.

2

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check.

TIlE LINCOLN fLIE8 By: jim Hayden

4774 Pasadena Dr. Boise, Idaho 88705 Photos furnished by author

Editor's Note: In 1970, Jim Hayden, Boise, Idaho final inspection. As a "zero" time biplane pilot, he was antiquer, found the remains of a Lincoln PT·W sticking often reminded of this fact through the previous restless out of a farmer's junkpile. The details of its restoration night. Work now had stopped altogether at Hubler are described in the November 1974 issue of the Field near Caldwell, Idaho. Most of the spectators VINTAGE AIRPLANE. present were pilots and owners of older aircraft based at

the sandy strip along the Boise River. Lee Coch, owner of Lee's Aero, had signed the logs certifying that the

The weatherman was cooperating. Saturday, April 3, machine was airworthy. Now he too made a last round 1976 was sunny and mild with only a light breeze blow· of inspections. ing. The Lincoln PT·W that had been rolled out of it's The Lincoln was built in 1929 by the Lincoln hangar was groomed to near perfection. Only one thing Aircraft Company of Lincoln, Nebraska. According to remained...to fly it. Owner Jim Hayden completed the

Above: Antique airspeed indicator mounted on right wing strut is a gift from Buck Hilbert in appreciation for Hayden's help in the final preparations for United Airlines Commemorative Swallow Flight. The indicator is fairly accurate at slower speeds with about a 70 mph variance with airspeed indicator in cockpit at 90 mph.

its logs, it had flown only 450 hours at the time of its last flight in 1943. Its reputation was respectable. Older pilots who had flown Lincolns had tagged them gentle and forgiving (if any plane built during that era could be so described). The Lincoln was built as a pilot trainer with large control surfaces for good control at low speeds.

The first order of business was to be a series of taxi runs. Hayden lowered himself into the rear cockpit and fastened his belt. Gas on...switch on ...brakes...clear. . .contact! The 125 Warner radial started quickly: its zerk

3

Above: Basic flight instruments are located in rear cockpit only. Gauge on left side of front cockpit is oil temperature. Oil pressure is on right side.

lubricated rockers moved up and down smartly. The first taxi run was followed by a second. Each time the tail came up quickly and directional control was easy to maintain. The controls, while stiff, seemed co-ordinated. The brakes were effective. No doubt about it, the Lincoln was eager to fly.

One final mag check. Then, the airplane headed down the sandy runway breaking free of the ground in less than 250'. After briefly circling the airport, the most difficult test for its pilot remained ...the landing.

True to its reputation, the Lincoln settled evenly, touching down in a smooth three point attitude. The landing was perfect. Rollout was accomplished easily with good control from the large rudder and heel-type brakes.

Two more flights that day confirmed what owner Jim Hayden had been hoping for. The Lincoln was indeed an easy airplane to fly. "Perhaps too easy considering its primary job was to train pilots" Jim suggests, recalling the handling characteristics of contemporary aircraft such as the KR21 Fairchild and Waco 10. Hayden, who has also owned a Cessna 195 for a number of years, found control response to be much slower than that to which he was accustomed. "It's a straight forward machine with no bad tricks" he says, after 50 hours in the Lincoln. He explains, however, that manuevers have been limited to the ordinary with the exception of Chandelles. "After all, an aircraft surviving 47 years of rough treatment is deserving of some kindness" Hayden declares.

Below: Shield shaped insignia was used on most Lincoln aircraft company models. Hayden's insignia is hand painted as were the originals. NC number was assigned at the time of certification by the CAA.

4

Above: Front view shows 72 volt wind-driven generator mounted on landing gear cabane strut. Perforated exhaust stacks reduce bark of 725 Warner. Breeze shielded ignition harness is early style used on radials for radio noise suppression. The system was installed on the Lincoln during the early '40's, along with a low frequency radio.

On X-C the Lincoln has a tendancy to wander and must receive the pilot's regular attention to stay on course. It gets off the ground well with or without a passenger. Baggage is limited to 50 Ibs. Starter, battery and generator reduce the craft's useful load by 75 Ibs. Even so, Hayden relates "performance is excellent even on 90 degree days". On a recent air tour of the Scarf and Goggle Flying Club , a Northwest biplane group, the Lincoln also performed well at the higher altitude strips. During the tour which included stops at Pendleton, Oregon; Boise, McCall and Sun Valley, Idaho; and Jackpot, Nevada, the Lincol n shared the company of such illustrious machines as a Brunner Winkle Bird, C3 Stearman, Navy N3N and a Fairchild F24 (the latter monoplane handled the baggage chores for the group).

The 125 Warner burns 7gph and oil consumption is

about one quart in three hours . According to Hayden, the aircraft's range of four hours is probably beyo nd the range of human endurance. Oil temperature, even on hot days, seldom exceeds 1500 F. The eight foot Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller provides rapid acceleration and gives the power plant very smooth run­ning characteristics. Original literature advertising the Lincoln PT-W gives it a top speed of 10Smph and a cruise of 87mph. Both figures are very close to that provided by Hayden's machine. Red line speed is lOS mph.

Passengers will find the front cockpit relatively qu iet. A large windshield, perforated exhaust stacks and smooth running engine keeps the noise level quite tol­erable. During the first few hours of flight the flying wires sang a bit. Tightening and aligning them solved this

The Lincoln PT-W flies, with pilot jim Hayden!

problem. The tail wheel assembly, fabricated from the type used on N3N's, shimmied despite a bungee cord designed as a dampner. A change in caster proved to be the solution. A lack of anti-friction bearings in the control system resulted in an initial over tightening of the cables. This situation was corrected during the first few hours the machine was flown. The bungee cord on the landing gear was also shortened. To solve the problem of access to controlled air fields a small transceiver will be installed later at the right side of the pilot's seat.

All those who view the Lincoln PT-W, including veteran restorers of past grand championship antique air­craft, have been impressed by the craftsmanship invested in the restoration. At its first fly-in appearance held at Boise's Strawberry Glen Airport, the Lincoln won the best biplane trophy. Recently at a fly-in sponsored by the Northwest Antique Airplane Club in Evergreen, Washington, the Lincoln was chosen "Best Biplane" (1919-1935) and "Grand Champion" of the event. Head­winds on the return flight to Boise helped prove that biplane pilot's wives must be patient and understanding. The 3S0 mile course took 6~ hours to cover. During that time, Jim relates no complaints were heard from wife, Verna, in the front cockpit.

When asked if the end result was really worth five years of toil and expense, Jim Hayden has an answer, "Affirmative! "

5

knight u.s. Air Mail Service Pilot jack Knight By: Lee Williams (EAA No. 709844) Apt. E 7006 Stoney Meartnw~

Valley Park, Mq., 6308E!

I'

Fifty-five years after his historic night air mail flight, J ames Herbert (j ack) Knight is being immortalized by his hometown of Buchanan, Mich., which plans to build a memorial chapel in his honor, and the city has good reason to be proud of Jack Knight.

It was Knight, who through sheer determination assured the future of air mail service. Piloting a de Hav ill and DH-4B through darkness, snowstorms, bitter co ld and fog, Knight flew the f irst nightair mail flight in hi story in February, 1921.

As a boy in Michiga n, Jack acq uired the first of sev­eral ni ck names, "Sky" (Knight) , an interesting portent of his flying career. Jack attended the Michigan Agricul­tural College, now Michigan State University. At Mich­igan Agricultural, "Sky" picked up the name "Jack", the name of an older brother who previousl y attended the same institution. The name Jack remai ned his favored name throughout his career.

With the outbreak of World War I, he joined the U.s . Army, where he learned to fly. Instead of being sent overseas, Knight was assigned to duty as a flight instruc­tor in the 122nd Aero Squadron at Ellington Field near Houston, Texas.

The war's end found Jack , by this time also known as "Skinny", facing the possibility of taking an office job . Certainly not willing to live with the confinement of a desk , he sought a flying career.

Otto Praeger was then the Second Assistant Post­master General of the U.S. Postal Service. His posit ion put him in charge of the transportation of all mails. This included the responsibility for the infant United States Air Mail Service. By late 1920, the Congress had presumed the service to be a failure. No other country had a workable air mail system and the U.S. system utili zed the railroads to transport the mails during the night whi le the aircraft flew during daylight. Poor weather, with its attendant poor visibilities, was a serious

flight obstacle. This was particularly true during winter month snowstorms. By winter 1920, things were looking grim for the fledgling air mail service. Additionally, the administration of Woodrow Wilson wou ld be ending the following March 4th . Wilson had given the air mail serv­ice its beg inning and had showed unseeming confidence in it. The incoming Harding Administration, however, campaigned on a platform of "a return to normalcy." It was und erstoorl that this philosophy included drastic cuts in funding for several domestic program s, the air mail service was assumed to be one of them.

So Otto Praeger, a hard-driving, tooth and nail ad­vocate of the air mail service, was up against the wall. The air mail service had to prove its value immediately.

Jack Knight previously had signed up as an air mail pilot and was regularly flying the dayti me route between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Chicago, Illinois. He was to be an element of Praeger 's plan to save the concept of air mai l.

There were to be two eastbound flights out of San Francisco and two westbound flights out of New York . The flights were to go coast-to-coast with per iod ic changes of plane and pilot. Night flying would be a req uirement. The flights would be condu cted during February, on Washington's birthday to provide an added ele ment of drama. Success would demonstrate the practicality of all-ai r, day-and-night routes and em­phasize the urgent need for lighted airways. Delivery time could be at least cut in half.

On February 22, 1921, fo ur de Havi ll and DH-4's departed their respective airfield s. Disasters plagued three of the flights; the worst caused the death of Capt. W. Lewis. Capt. Lewis had departed fro m San Francisco and successfull y completed the legs to Reno and Elko, Nev. On takeoff fro m Elko, his plane stalled and Lewis died in the resulting crash .

(Continued on Page 79)

6

Above: Clayton Leigh Scott (Scotty) gives the word "Contact", through the B& W wires!

\

Right: Airborne in the B& W replica, helping to celebrate The Boeing Company's 50th anniversary, Summer of 7966. (Photo by Boeing)

Clayton Leigh Scott, a native Pennsylvanian, has made an enviable flying career from its beginning at Pearson Field, Vancouver, WA, February 25, 1927 when he soloed an OX Waco 9. He still holds a very active S&MEL&S with Instrument License Number 2155 and he is considered to be one of the Pacific Northwest air pioneers. A stalwart member and past Seattle Hangar Governor of the Quiet Bird man, Scotty also served as the first Northwest President of the OX-5 Club of America. He was cited for the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame at the annual convention at Charleston, SC, October 12, 1974 and was inducted into the Hall at Hammondsport, NY, the following Spring.

A couple of his most recent OX-5 outings have taken him to Yakima, WA and San Diego, CA. September 18, 1976 he flew his Cessna 310 to Yakima to attend the feting of Charlie McAllister, Yakima's oldest pilot-

instructor still in business. Flight time was 35 minutes which compares favorably to the one hour 25 minutes required) une 2, 1928, via OX-5 Travelair, when Scotty won the race from Seattle and was awarded a silver trophy, a feature of the 1928 dedication of Yakima Air­port. In the ensuing airshow, Scotty finished second to Tex Rankin in both the aerobatic competition and the closed-course pylon race. He travelled to San Diego Octo­ber 1-3 for the annual convention of the OX-5 Club, sponsored by the Orange County/San Diego Chapter, at which fifteen pioneers, four posthumously, were cited for the Hall of Fame.

Prior to JOining William E. Boeing as his per­sonal pilot, Scotty had worked as a station attendant for Pacific Air Transport, and had flown Loening Air Yachts (1929) for the Seattle-Bremerton Air

8

Above: The Dornier with the float instal/ation on Lake Washington.

Below: The Piper Aztec and the B& WI A on the Post-Rogers Memo­rial Seaplane Ramp, north end of Renton Airport, WA.

Above: Jobmasters 01/ -- Cessna 310, two D(Havilland Beavers and a Howard, south of the Renton tower, by the second and present home of jobmaster.

Ferry owned by Verne Gorst, the founder of PAT. Duri ng those formative years, they set a record of carrying 10,000 pas­sengers during a 90-day period. Scott then went to Alaska, representing Gorst there, and did charter work in the Loen ing, primarily out of Cordova. Here he met Myrtle Smith, a school teacher, formerly of Windom, MN, who became his better half and they currently enjoy a beautiful home at the north end of Mercer Island overlooking Lake Wash­ington. He flew the right seat for United Airlines in 1933 on the Portland-Salt Lake City run in Boeing 247s and then joined William Boeing, flying a Boeing Flying Boat, a Douglas Amphibian "Dol­phin" and then a DC-5.

CLS joined Boeing Flight Delivery, the forerunner to Production Flight Test, in June of 1941 as an acceptance pilot for the B-17, DB-7B and the A-20C aircraft.

After Slim Lewis' retirement in early 1947, Scotty became chief pilot and headed up the group. During his Boeing affiliation over 11,300 new airplanes were delivered - all models from the B-17 Flying Fortress to current models of the jet-family, 13 years into the jet age.

Scotty says some of his most in­teresting flying assignments were a survey flight to the South Pacific with Orvis Nelson's Trans-Ocean Airline shortly after the end of WW II and subsequent Boeing flights to the far-corners of the world making test hops after aircraft repairs and modifications.

As a person who had always liked to "tinker", CLS launched The J obmaster Company as retirement age approached and Sandy McMurray assumed the lead in Prod. Fit. The first J obmaster project was an air spray unit for use with offset print­ing. In only a short time, Scotty renewed

9

Clayton Scott ready for a test hop in a Boeing B-29, Winter of 7945. Note the au­

Notables at the christening of the 8&W-7A replica, Summer of 7966 -- (L to R), tograph "Lets get the show on the road."

Claire Egtvedt, Mr. and Mrs. George Martin, Mrs. William Allen, who did the chris­tening, Mrs. C. L. Scott, Mrs. Claire Egtvedt, Mrs. Frank Dobbins, Clayton L. Scott, Frank Dobbins and Fred Laudan.

his love for "floats" and Howard DGA­15s were used in [he conversion from wheels to floats. Hi s ex perti se was called upon in 1966 when The Boeing Company o b se rved its 50th year an n iversary ce lebration and decided to construct a replica of its first aircraft, the Boeing & Westervelt.

Wh e n another company defaulted, Scotty and six other people took on the project and the airpl ane was built in the re maining four months. At the same time the floats were being built in the Boeing model shop. The B&W replica was test

f lown a nd ready for the scheduled an niversary, Jul y 15, 1966. After nu­merous flights in and around the Seattle area, and a demonstration flight between Philadelphia and New York, the airpl ane was taken to Wichita where wheels were attached for operation on land. I n spite of the added drag induced, Scotty flew it up to the Abbotsford, B.C. Air Show that year. The unique difference between th e original aircraft and the replica was the installation of a 260 hp. Lycoming engine which was limited to 150 hp. The air­plane was retired and now hangs in the

Flight Foundation Mu seum at the Seattle Center; it could be ready for flight once again with new fab ric on the wings.

Scotty has made, and is making, conversion kits for the Howard s as well as having finished fiftee n of the complete units ready for fly-away. In addition, he has done the initial install ation , conver­sion and FAA tests for approval o n a number of aircraft; among others, the German Dornier, Itali an Lasa, Swiss Pilatus-Porter and the Piper Aztec. The "now" project is the rebuilding and "floating" of a couple of surplus De-

Hav illand Beavers. Shop activities contin­ue to hum, at Jobmaster, located at Renton Airport, Renton , WA.

Being an av id sportsman, Scotty enjoy­ed a partnership in the sailboat "Despy" for a number of years, and he has been able to utilize hi s aircraft on floats by winging into Northern Canadian woods and some of the higher mountain lakes wh ere good fishing and hunting are assured.

(Continued on Vintage A/bum pages 7 7 & 72)

10

Vintagl Men and ThE

Pictures from Claytol

Regarding retirement, Scotty recommends that a perSOf mind to do befonshould have something definite inAbove: Scotty in the Seattle Flying Service OX-5 Travel

making the move, and then retire as quickly as possibleAir with student Madelene Takaberry. From the looks of Below: Scotty at Cordova, Alaska with the Loening Air things he is telling her which way is up! Yacht.

Above: Time out for leisure with the Dolphin "Rover".

Album Vintage ~achines

"Scotty" Scott's album.

For him, it hasn't exactly been retirement; more a matter of recycling his flying activities! So, the show Above: "Northland" togs were very

necessary for winter flights in the cold continues to roll along! north. Scotty suited up for a Seattle

Above: Suited up for "Northland" flight with the OX-5 Travel Air. In 7929 it was a chore to get the engine started. Hot water and hot oil were necessary.

Below: Scotty and the Loening Air Yacht at Percy Barnes' dock at Lake Union, Seattle.

Below: Seattle Flying Service OX-5 Travel Air on exhibit at the (7929) boat show.

Flying Service Inc. trip.

--.. .... ---.

-

about

flights in a

pilot. His

CLINTON E. HERB ERGER

A SILVER

Eagle (~

By: Robert G. Elliott (Assoc. Editor) 7227 Oakwood Ave. Daytona Beach, FL 3207 4

My first introduction to Captain Clinton E. Herberger occurred during the production of an Air Force training film at the Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California.

I t was late in 1943. The First Motion Picture Un it had been organized primarily by gathering together all varieties of studio talent already in military service. As an Air Force motion picture studio, our prime function was the production of training films, ...and in so doing, on a certain picture, I was a production camera assistant and Captain Herberger was pilot-technical advisor.

During the months that followed, until September, 1945, it was my good fortune to have been assigned as an aerial cameraman on numerous with Capt. Herberger as pilot. Whether we flew Beech AT-11 or our old B-17, "Allez Oop", none of us were ever concerned with Capt. Herberger as unblemished reputation as a motion picture stunt and camera pilot was known to all, but was overshadowed by his calm, friendly serene nature.

The passing years now found Clint and I visiting and reminiscing about the past. ..Clint's aviation career... unique to the extent that most of his years were spent in aviation for the motion picture studios in Hollywood.

So it was, during June of 1975, in Orlando, Florida, Clint's retirement home ...that he unfolded a view of his aviation career.

"I was ten years old, when, at the Boise, Idaho, State Fair, I saw my first airplane in 1912. The fact is, there were two planes on exhibition, a fourth generation Wright and a Farman boxkite. Both were peculiar by today's standards. The Wright had no ailerons...wing warping effected similar control that later was provided

by ailerons . The Farman, of French design, had fabric between the front and rear wing struts hopefully to provide more directional stabil ity .

One of the feature attractions at the San Francisco Pan-Pac ific I nternational Exposition, was to be the appearance of Lincoln Beachey with f:lis mid-wing mon­oplane. We visited that Exposition as did thousands of others, in 1915.

I had an opportunity to examine his plane. The single wing was wire braced from the landing gear to a cabane

Hell's Angels Pilot. Clinton E. Herberger, Lt. Col. U.S.A.F. (Ret.), J une 7975, Orlando, Florida (Photo by Robert G. Elliott).

strut, but in spite of this design feature, the wings collapsed on what became his final flight. The plane had a tri-cycle landing gear, and if I recall correctly, it was powered by a LeRhone rotary engine.

Beachey's crash was an unfortunate quirk of luck, in that he survived the impact upon the water, but was drowned before he could free himself from his safety belts.

13

I

I n order to continue the aeria l attractions, Art Smith was engaged to fly what was known then as a clip-wing Martin biplane. Being such an awe struck kid, I was hanging around the plane doing any odd job necessary, from polishing wings to carrying gas, for Art Smith was my idol.

One day, shortly after having overhauled the engine, he was about to take it up on a test hop. He turned to me and said .. . "Hey kid ...you want to go up with me?"

darn near flipped right then and there and said... "Sure". Well ... it was a single seat plane, so he strapped me on the leading edge of the lower wing next to a strut, tying me to the strut . ..and that's the first ride I had in the air ... right out in front. I never told my mother of that first ride until much much later.

Like so many others of that era, I learned to fly in a JN-4, and later graduated to a great big bomber. ..the DeHaviland ...which incidently was the first airplane with a 400hp engine. This particular subject really gripes me, because, when I was an active military pilot in the 1940's or shortly thereafter, the Air Force decided that any time under 400hp wouldn't count on your record...so I lost about 3000 hours flying time right then. And I asked them... "When in the Hell did yo u think we got 400hp?"

"While in high school during WWI, they inaugurated a military training program called ' High School Cadets' . It was the forerunner of the ROTC. As it happened, our school had no instructor, so I volunteered. What success I had, was directly related to the fact that I immediately went to the Army-Navy store to buy an Army Drill Man­ual, and by diligent study and no little amount of manip­ulation, I managed to stay one step ahead of the class. My rash gamble paid off later, because our school won a military competition. This must have been in mid 1918.

As high school ended, our Cadet group became Reg­ular Army. We spent about a month and a half in Army training and were actually entrained for Europe on Armistice Day. I then returned to high schoo l, but the following May I en li sted in the Signal Corps for Air.

My first actual military organization was the Second Aero Squadron. For our Primary Training we were assigned to March Field. Here, we were exposed to the workings of an aircraft in the one and only tried and true way. We had to disassemble the plane engine, overhaul it by hand, scrape and polish bearings, fit it all

back together after completely going over every piece. Then it was a re-assembly job, climaxed by the best test of al l. .. we had to get in and fly it.

After Primary, we moved to Mather Field for advanced flight. Mather was just a plain dirt field with no runways, in fact not much else either. Part of our advanced training was participation in the first forest fire aerial patrol in northern California. Our planes, five of them, were old DH-4B's. The patrol schedule called for one round trip daily from Mather Field to Yreka, California and back ...but it wasn't that simple. Yreka was quite high in elevation, and with the heat of mid day...we couldn't get those DH-4B's off the ground as they didn't have the power. So ...we'd wait until the afternoon began to cool off some, then we'd make the return fl ight."

"Flight training concluded in 1920. For several months we had been at North Island in San Diego, training in Navy flying boats. The reason for this was that our first tour of duty was to be on Corregidor. Being a rugged island with no space for a landing strip, the Second Aero Squadron was assigned HS-2L flying boats to be used from anyone of the numerous small beaches.

Our whole Squadron had about ten of these flying boats. They were large single engine pusher biplanes with a three-man crew.. . pilot, co-pilot and gunner/radio operator.. .my job . Mine was the best seat in the plane . . . right out front in the nose."

"Clint".. .1 asked, "how did your Squadron planes come to have that familiar nose design?"

Smiling and laughing, Clint responded .. . "You've no doubt heard that the Flying Tigers of WWII were supposed to have originated the menacing sharks teeth design on the nose of their P-40's ...well, t'ain't so...our planes had th is decoration in 1920, and here's the picture to prove it."

With that exclamation Clint launched into a brief description of how it all came about.

"The design and idea were mine. As it happened, the ground crew was planning to refinish the hulls, so...on this particular plane I created my masterpiece after the basic refinish was completed. There was the mouth with the sharp white teeth, towards the rear was an eye on both sides, with scales to the rear completing the dragon-like creature.

When it was finished the Commander came down for

Above: Clinton E. Herberger, upon entry in Regular Army, just prior to Armistice Day, 7978. (Photo courtesy of C. E. Herberger).

what he supposed was a routine paint inspection. He took one surprised look at our plane and quickly asked ..."Who did that?" . .. to which I responded ..."1 did, Sir". Directly to me, he said ..."Well, I like it. . . paint the others", meaning the rest of the Squadron planes.

Our operation was somewhat hampered by the fact that a tractor was necessary to launch and retrieve each plane from the water. Makeshift hangars and work areas were higher on the beach somewhat in the jungle.

Some years ago, my wife Virginia, and I, were visiting the Smithson ian Museum and we observed an HS-2L fu­selage. I n checking the Serial number, I was surprised to learn that it had been one of the planes in our old Squadron...one that I had flown."

"Clint. ..you've told me in time past that your even­tual association with Howard Hughes in the production of 'Hell's Angels' began in an odd manner ."

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"It sure was an oddity. I was working for an aircraft company in Glendale. You see...strangely enough ...in all these years.. . 1 've never owned an airplane. I've always been paid for all my flying. So ...1 was flying one of this company's aircraft, then known as a 'Thunderbird'. I think there were only about three of them built, and they never received CAB flight certifica­tion. This was about the time that the licensing agency was formed . The inspectors were not engineers, just former pilots.

I had been scheduled to fly the spin tests one day and these guys incorrectly loaded my plane, as I later discov­ered.

Well ... it spun alright. .. the flattest spin you can imagine...seventeen turns in 3000 feet. I bailed out. It was a free jump from open cockpit, not a pullout.. . and as I rolled out and dropped, the wing rotated above me as I pulled the ripcord. I did ONE ...TWO...THREE ... swings and hit the ground . That emergency jump ad­mitted me to the Caterpill,ar Club.

Strangely enough, years later a lad came to the house selling Capitol brushes. He looked at me kinda funny and said to me..."Didn't you used to be a pilot?" . .. and I said, "Yes". He continued, "Didn't you bailout of a plane over the Baldwin Hills?" ...and I said, "Yes" ... he says, "I've got the stick of that plane . ..wou Id yo u like to have it?" I've still got it today ... it was about the only piece of that plane which hadn't been smashed.

This Thunderbird was one of the first planes that had an adjustable stabilizer. It was powered by an old WWI Hispano Suiza. You could land it very slowly.. . or set the stabilizer and it was hotter than a pistol. It would have made a great training plane, but it was never cer­tified."

Above: Fokker D- V/I, similar to those flown by Clinton E. Herberger during his participa­tion in the filming of Hefl's Angels. This particular plane, when photographed, was part of the Tallmantz Collection. (Photo by Robert G. Elliott).

Below: Launching and retrieval of the HS-2L's from the beach was accomplished with the aide of a tractor and manpower. Lack of sufficient flat, clear land on the is­land, demanded the use of the water-based planes. Note the 'shark nose' design. (Photo courtesy of C. E. Herberger).

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"That was the plane I was flying when Hughes con­tacted my Company to rent it for Hell's Angels. A deal was agreed upon which included the plane with me as pilot. After I arrived on the filming location, they discovered I was the only military trained pilot. My first assignment then, was to spend over a month teaching all those other film pilots how to fly formation. Frank Clark was Chief Pilot, and he had introduced me to Howard Hughes after I'd been there about a week.

Howard said ... "How much are you getting, Herb?"...and I told him . . . he said "I'll double it"... and he did. I collected two salaries all through that picture...one from my Company and one from Hughes.

I was with them for just over a year, until all the flight sequences were finished . You know .. . the first version was silent, but when sound came in, Hughes did it allover again.

Hughes had two fields, at first, which represented the German and Allied home bases. Caddo Field was the All ied Squadron Headquarters and was close to Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. His other field was up near Newhall from which the German Squadron flew."

Because Clint had numerous opportunities to fly WWI aircraft, I asked if he thought any single aircraft was superior . To this he responded ..."Well, the Fokker O-VII was very definitely a superior plane. Incidentally, I logged more time in a Fokker O-VII than most any individual German pilot had during WWI, and it was logged while making Hell's Angels as well as other pic­tures later on.

I considered its design to be superior. It was a very maneuverable airplane. You see...actually, the O-VII was one of the first full cantilever wing aircraft, but the pilots wouldn't trust it, so they put struts in it. I've seen it flown without them.

Above: Clinton E. Herberger, in nose of HS-2L, during tour of duty on the island of Corregidor with the Second Aero Squadron, in 7920. (Photo courtesy of C. £. Herberger).

Below: Clinton E. Herberger, third from left, during his advanced flight training at Mather Field, California. This was one of the five DH-4B's which were used in the first forest fire aerial patrol. (Photo courtesy of c.£. Herberger).

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Nieuport 28, similar to those flown in the filming of Hell's Angels, earning a reputation for being hazardous to fly because of the characteristics of the LeRhone rotary engine. This particular plane, when photographed, was part of the Cole Palen collection. (Photo by Robert G. Elliott).

Group photo showing some of the 87 planes and 78 pilots who were engaged by Howard Hughes for the filming of Hell's Angels. In the center is the Sikorsky S29A, converted to resemble a German Gotha bomber. Included in the photo are British SE-5's, Fokker D- VI/'s, Nieuports and converted Travel Airs. (Photo courtesy of C. E. Herberger).

I he wreckage of Stuart Murphy's plane laying in a cow pasture, after the mid-air collision with Ira Reed. (Photo courtesy of C. E. Herberger).

An outstanding characteristic was its ability to fly very slowly and still retain sensitive control response. It could literally hang on its prop in a steep climb, a deadly maneuver against the und erside of Allied planes.

Conversely, a plane that ruined many a pilot was the French Nieuport 28. Garland Lincoln owned the Nieuports flown in the picture. One day Garland said .. . of one Nieuport. .."There's a little vibration here" ...so we took off the cowl and looked. Of the fourteen bolts that should have secured the LeRhone rotary to the motor mount, there were only three left. ..no wonder there was vibration.

That's another thing the youngsters of today don't believe...the rotary engine. The engine rotation acted to create a gyroscopic effect. ..a positive reason why you never made turns to the right at low altitude without being very careful to counteract that tremendous pull to the right. Those old LeRhones could not be idled with retarded throttle as was the custom on conventional engines. So .. . on top of the stick was what we called a blip-button, which cut out each alternate cylinder, thus reducing power. Instead of the sharp staccato exhaust in normal operation, the blip switch created a succession of "Thrruupp...thrruupp . .. thrruupp, blasts. It was this tremendous torque which caused a near fatal accident during the fil ming of Hell 's Angels .

Howard Hughes decided he wanted to takeoff in...as I recall. . . either a Thomas Morse or a Nieuport, down the line of hangars and do a right Chandelle up over the hangars . When the flight crew was informed of his inten­tion...we all tried to talk him out of it, judging that he, being a novice pilot, would be attempting a very dan­gerous maneuver.

There was no stopping Hughes however. The more we cautioned him, the more excited he became...and in those days his voice rose to a high pitch falsetto as he finally cried ..."Oh ...you bunch of damn pansy pilots ... "1'11 show you how to do it".

I was near him when he started to climb into the plane and I said ... "Howard, don 't try it now . ..we know the risk", but he said, "I'll do it".. _as he settled himself in the cockpit.

Next thing we knew, his chocks were pull ed and he went barreling down the field just in front of the hang­ars."

"As Hughes lifted off, he began a tight climbing turn to the ri ght and WHAM . .. he went righ t into the side of a

hangar. We were all running towards the wreckage by then and thinking to ourselves ..."My God ... there goes our Angel". All there was to see was a pile of fabric , splintered wood, tubing and lots of smoke. We just stood there momentarily stunned. Fortunately there was no fire.

Suddenly the pile of junk erupted and out staggered Hughes with hardly a scratch. We were so shocked with his sudden appearance that Hughes broke the silence with his falsetto voice, remarking ... "Well. .. 1 guess you knew what you were talking about".

As I was leafing through Clint's collection of pho­tographs, a group photo of many Hell's Angels planes prompted Clint to continue.

"That group photo included many of our 87 planes and our 78 pilots. Across the front are the pilots, guess I was somewhere near the middle. Behind, in the center was the converted Sikorsky S29A, made to appear as a German Gotha bomber. The two light colored planes near the front were authentic SE-5's. Behind are four Fokker D-VII's, while the rest were not only authentic Nieuport 28's but also converted Travel Airs.

Filming another Hell's Angels couldn't be done today, I'm sure. In the first place there wouldn't be enough old planes that could be made airworthy, and the newer ones, converted, would fly too fast. At one time during the main dog-fight sequence, we had fifty planes within camera view ...all milling about, one upon the other's tail_ . . or spinning down out of action."

Interrupting Clint for a moment I questioned how they communicated the complicated directions to each pilot from the lead camera plane.

To wh ich Clint repli ed ..."Each scene was di­agrammed on a blackboard with all participating pilots present. Much the same as football plays are planned.

Each plane's move was thoroughly planned before we went up. As a backup, we'd all memori ze an alternate scene, just in case the clouds weren't exactly right for camera, or something else had prevented our following the original plan. We would communicate by hand sig­nals in such an instance and change to the altern ate scene, which indeed ...we did frequently.

During the filming of Hell's Angels we had relatively few accidental crashes. There was one though that stand s out in my memory . . . as I very nearly became a part of it" ... chuckled Clint.

He had flipped through the photo co ll ection and had

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stopped to study a pil e of wreckage on a hilly field. "That wreck is the resu lt of a near fatal mishap and it

happen ed over the foothills near Oak land, Ca li fornia. Actually, this pil e of junk was in th e middl e of a cow pasture.

Th e day's shooting was planned aro und a dog fig ht with 50 planes. Stuart Murph y and I were German, and Ira Reed was the Briti sh. Stuart, ahead of me, was making the proper attack on Ira, when sudd enl y, he dove down and went right through the upper and lower left wings of Ira's plane. It all happened right in front of me and I damn near was the third victim, but luckily managed to pull up over them as they sp lit apart. As I came abo ut I saw Stuart bailout so I fo ll owed him down to make sure he safely landed.

Ira, in the meantime, was limping along down coun­try looking for a likely land ing place. Darn if he didn't make it too ...and all th e more mirac ulous because his converted Travel Airhad a broken mai n spar in his top wing.

"Talking it over with Ira soo n after he landed I as ked, " Ira. . . why in heck didn't you bail ouP", to which he responded in a murmur.. ." 1 was afra id to". But he never ad mitted it to anyone else", chuckled Clint .

We all went back to that pasture to pick up th e pieces of Stuart's plane. The whee ls were abo ut all we cou ld fi nd that were useable. I mpac t had been on top of a low rise in the pastu re fu ll of cows. When they saw this monster fal ling upon them, they took off with tails high and not a one was hurt.

The Unit manager and all of us, for that matter, fully ex pected we'd find an irate farmer ready to sue, but in stead . . . he came to meet us laughing way down in his boots. "You know" .. . he gasped .. . "every one of those darn cows will go dry fro m th at scare". He really thought it was hilarious ... much to our rei ief.

"For the record , Clint" . .. 1 continued as he fell silent a moment.. ." 1 suppose the background of that Sikorsky should be clarified somewhat. Your photo of this re-constructed pl ane shows it in its final configuration, that of resembling a German Gotha bomber.

The Sikorsky S29-A was built in 1924 by Igor Sikorsky, his first aircraft built in America after im ­migrating from his native Russ ia. Igor struggled for months to finance and build that 14 passenger, 100 mph commerical aircraft. He flew it successfully on more than 200 flights, carrying both passengers and freight,

.s I."" ,th",,!",.t

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• ~ '\.:J ..

. ~Qt' I' 141-e 14

Group photo of a number of pilots who figured prom­inently in the filming of Hell 's Angels standing beside the conllerted Sikorsky S29A. Clinton E. Herberger is first to the right of the skull. (Photo courtesy of C. E. Herberger).

proving its commercial worth to many skeptics. TO BE CONTINUED IN MARCH ISSUE In 1926 Roscoe Turner bought the S29-A for

A Sillier Eagle$11,000, a sizeable sum in those days. Roscoe flew it on Clinton E. Herbergervarious money mak ing ventures for nearly two years

until he entered into the sales agreement with Howard Hughes in 1928. The Sillier Eagle series is an honorary deSignation of the

The S29-A was to star in the picture, though in doing Florida Chapter, the series being researched and written so... its career would be ended." by Robert G. Elliott, Associate Editor.

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Above: A typical "pick-up" on an early air mail flight. Note the Model T Fords.

(Continued from Page 6)

The pilot of the first airplane out of New York was E. J. Leonhardt. He discovered that his aircraft could not develop full power, and with the prevailing bad weather, he chose to execute a forced landing somewhat south of Du Bois, Penn. The second fl ight made it to Ch icago where weather conditions also forced its termination.

The second eastbound fl ight was piloted by F arr Nutter. He broke the earth's bonds at 4:29 a.m., San Francisco time. His cruising altitude reached 12,000 feet so that he could clear the peaks of the Sierra Mountains and landed at Reno as the sun was rising, 6:45 a.m. With the mail loaded onto another plane, pilot Jack Eaton left Reno at 6:55 a.m. for the second leg of the flight. He reached Elko at 9:24 a.m., refueled, and departed at 9:31 a.m. His leg was completed upon his landing at Salt Lake City at 11 :30 a.m. Pilot James Murray, also with

another DH-4, throttled up his 400-horsepower Amer­ican Liberty powerplant, and took off at 12: 37 p. m.

The DH-4 these pilots were flying at this time were reconverted Army armed observation planes used during World War I. They were constructed of wood, their fabric coverings replaced by natural finish birch plywood for use by the air mail service. The open-cockpit biplane had been lightened during reconversion. As a result, it could carry 500 Ibs of mail in the area where the observ­er's seat had been. The limited fuel capacity, 100 gal­lons, gave the workhorse a range of only 350 miles max­imum. This meant that the refueling stops were too fre­quent to please the pilots. The alternative, however, was even less desirable.

Instrumentation consisted of a compass, airspeed in­dicator, tachometer, altimeter, ignition switch, and

Above: jack Knight beside his plane, with his name stenciled on the wooden side.

water temperature gauge. Only the latter two could be considered reliable. Although it wasn't much, it was a beginning.

Jimmy Murray touched down at Cheyenne, Wyoming at 4:57 p.m. From Cheyenne, pilot Frank Yaeger took over, and left that field at 4:59 p.m. He made North Platte, Nebr. by 7:48 p.m. Jack Knight was waiting to begin his segment.

Jack had already flown his usual day flight from Omaha to Cheyenne. He had to depart immediately from Cheyenne for North Platte to meet Yaeger. Knight was to fly the important payload on to Omaha. He had had no sleep and no supper when he met Yaeger after the latter landed at North Platte.

Although Yaeger was there at 4:48, there were complications with Knight's plane. Three hours of

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Above: Jack Knight after arriving in Chicago on the 20th anniversary of his epic flight.

mechanic's time was required to get the engine started and running properly. Also, a tail skid was being replaced.

The pilot also had problems; he had a broken nose and other injuries sustained in a landing mishap seven days previous.

The North Platte-to-Omaha leg finally began at 10:44 p.m., in the dark. Knight climbed to 2,200 feet. "I didn't dare go any higher because land markings were barely discernible from this level ," he said. "Through occasional slits in the clouds I caught glimpses of the

Filling the radiator

dim silver thread of the Platte River. It was my guide." The other major navigation aid was bonfires, which were lighted by enthusiastic farmers and chambers of com­merce along the proposed route. The postal service had requested the fires, and cooperation was en thusiastic . "All along the route were bonfires built to serve as bea­cons and I fel t as if I had a thousand friends on the grou nd . . . Lexington, Kearney, Grand Island, Columbus, Fremont slipped by, warm glows of well­wishers beneath the plane's wings," Knight said. "And then I saw the lights of Omaha. The field was magnif­

icently illuminated. There were at least 2,000 persons at the airport to welcome me -- indicating the true enthu­siasm for the mail." Blazing gasoline drums guided Jack to his touchdown at 1 :10 in the morning of the 23rd. " I climbed out of the ship thinking only of supper and sleep."

So much for routine. Inside was Bill Votaw, Omaha airport manager , who related the news that Knight's relief pilot had failed to make the trip from Chicago to Omaha. Also, he found out that the westbound flights

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Below: Jack Knight ready to take off on U.S. air mail route. Note the poor forward visibility.

Above: Reno, Nev., U.S. air mail stop.

were both snowbou nd. Jack m uttered to Votaw, "I t's too damn bad to get halfway across the continent and have the flight fizzle out. I'm going to take this mail on to Chicago." Votaw felt the fli ght should be terminated and Jack pleaded to be allowed to continue. Against continuing were the facts that: 1) no bonfires would be available along the route, 2) the weather was atrocious, 3) Knight had never flown the route before .- even during the day, 4) Knight was already exhausted, and 5) the on ly map available was an old railroad map. The only factor for continuation was that this flight was required to secure the future of the air mail service. Jack won his point. He studied the map and his plane was refueled. "It was one minute before 2:00 a.m. when I opened the throttle and skimmed away from the Omaha field."

A strong crosswind from the north compl icated navigation. "From here on I was flying over territory absolutely strange," he said. "I knew nothing of the land

markings', even if they had been visibl e. I had to fly by compass and by feel. I passed over Des Moines." Des Moines was scheduled to be a refueling stop. In addition to poor visibility, snow was deep on the Des Moines real estate. Too deep to land. The fuel selector was switched to the emergency tank. "By this time I was dead for lack of sleep," Knight recalled. "I wanted to doze off. The throbbing rhythm of the motor didn't help matters. It was almost a lullaby. I gripped the control stick with my knees and began slapping my face to keep awake. I stuck my face over the side of the cowl and let the rush ing zero air bite my cheeks almost raw.

" It was a new danger that restored my wakefulness, however, fog. I dropped to low altitude trying to catch a glimpse of some kind of marker. The landing gear grazed a treetop. I tried again, praying that this time it wouldn't be the ground. Luckily, I spotted a railroad track. I followed it because I thought it would lead me to Iowa City.

"There was a break in the clouds and I saw lights which I thought to be I.e. but I couldn't find a field. The gasoline was running low. I think it was good for about five more minutes . . . I just kept circling. Then I spotted a red flare. I t might have been for a railroad train, but I had to take the chance and went down. The flare was planted in the center of the field and I made a rather rough landing." This was Iowa City. All the ground personnel, thinking the flight was cancelled in Omaha, had left the field. The one remaining person, the night watchman, had heard the twelve pounding cyl­inders above and lit the red flare. The landing was at 4:45 a.m.

The watchman helped Knight refuel the DH-4's tanks. They waited for the snow to let up a little. "A ham sandwich and I was in the air again," Knight continued. "I didn't dare eat any more for fear it would put me to sleep. It was 6:30 a.m., Wednesday. The rest of the way I flew by instinct. I just pointed the plane's nose for Chicago and kept going. Snow whirled around the ship for a wh ile and the wi nd blew stiff from the east. I twas hellishly cold. But as the day grew brighter, I saw the grey smoke of Chicago mixing with the clouds and it was the finest sight I have ever beheld. Within sight of the field, the motor started to sputter. I guess I could forgive it then because the job was done."

"Go ahead and quit," Knight told the engine, "we'll make it anyhow." And that they did, he landed at

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Checkerboard Field in Maywood at 8:40 in the morning, Feb ruary 23. The Buchanan native, had to have his clothes cut loose to get out of the cockpit and was greeted by a wild crowd welcoming a hero. It was a jubilant scene, but his mod est statement to the news media was, "I happened to be the man on the spot, but anyone of the rest of the fellows would have done what I did. We all knew how important this flight is, and we are all determined to make it succeed. Too many pilots have sacrificed their lives flying the mai l during the past couple of years to let this thing fold up. This isn't just a case of 'the mail must go through '; the whole idea of the transcontinental airway is at stake."

The news immed iately began to spread nation-wide.

Head lines proclaimed him as a hero. From Chicago, pilot Jac k Webster left at 9:00 a.m. and arrived at Cleveland at 12:52 p.m. Ernest M. Allison took off from Cleveland at 1 :03 p.m. and ended the transcontinental flight at 4:49 p.m. at Hazelhurst Field on Long Island.

It took 33 hou, sand 20 minutes to cover the 2,629 miles. Average speed was 104 mph (with a flying time of 25 hours and 16 minutes). The first night air mail flight was mad e. The coast-to-coast time of delivery was more than halved. One pilot had given his life.

As a result of the last two day's events, the American public was sure that air mail was here to stay. Congress was impressed and approved $1.25 million for the continuation and ex pansion of the Air Mail Service and for airway lighting. The Congress also began work on legislation governing civil aviatio n. The flight was a terrific success -- a success made possible by the determination, the sk ill, and, perhaps, the luck of Jack Knight.

For many years after his historic flight, Jack Knight continued th e battle to moderni ze the airways and make the job of navigation less a life-a nd-death proposition. Two-way radio communications was in the works, too. In the fall of 1923, Jack flew the same route, at night, but this time there were operating beacons and he had radios aboard. It must have seemed like a milkrun.

Left: jack Knight and Henry Ford in re­enactment of first through day and night coast­to-coast air mail flight.

His long distance flights were not ended either. Also in 1923, he made another important flight, flying 960 miles in 14 hours, from Cheyenne to Buchanan, to be at the bedside of his dyi ng father.

Later, he became a pilot for United Airlines. He retired from fulltime flying in 1937 to take the job of Director of Public Education for United, after having flown 2,400,000 miles without an accident. Retirement followed several years later.

World War II brought Jack again into service. He flew to South America to get rubber for war materials; he contracted malaria while on this mission. After the war had ended, Jack took a severe fall while at a lecture. The injuries suffered in that fall precipitated his death from malaria on February 24, 1945, in his mother's home. He was only 53. At his previous request, his ashes were scattered from an airplane over Lake Michigan.

His memory has lived on. In 1967, the city of Omaha conducted a re-enactment of Knight's flight from Cheyenne to Omaha. That city and North Platte had declared Jack Knight Days. And now, the Jack Knight Memorial Chapel in Buchanan will honor him for poster­ity.

Because of Jack Knight's outstand ing service and because of the example he set, it is understandable that his successor air mail pilots proudly took on the motto, Civis Aerius Sum -- "I am a citizen of the air."

Below: Crowd at one of the stops on the coast­to-coast air mail flight re-enactment.

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