any of these items available please let me know

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL Sun n Fun

---------------shy

by Espie Butch Joyce

I hope everyone enjoyed Vice-president Art Morgan s contribution to Straight and Level in the February issue It s enshylightening to hear other people present their point of view from time to time I hope that everyone will also enjoy reading the Interesting Member articles that you will be seeing in the next 12 or 13 issues of VINTAGE AIRPLANE This is the restoshyration of an idea that was given to us by Bob Lickteig our past president and was very well received by everyone at that time If you know of some interest ing member we would like to read about it

New color pages I thought that the January issue of VINshy

TAGE AIRPLANE was especially good with our added color I have received sevshyeral letters from members who expressed their congratulations to the editorial staff for its efforts on the January issue

Board Meeting Your AntiqueClassic board of directors

held its winter board meeting at Oshkosh on February 9 The meeting was well atshytended and the weather in Oshkosh was mild - more so than in previous winter meetings There were a number of issues addressed at this meeting and quite a few ideas expressed in planning for manageshyment of the AntiqueClassic area of EAA Oshkosh 90

Those of you who attended EAA Oshshykosh 89 probably saw the new trams used to transport people from one end of the convention site to the other The Antique 2 MARCH 1990

Classic Division has purchased a similar tram to use in place of the old wagon we have been using for the AC area tour This should make for a more comfortable ride and also be somewhat safer The tour tram is pulled by tractor through the Antique Classic parking area with a narrator deshyscribing the types of planes and the ir sigshynificance in aviation history It might be noted that some people have not taken adshyvantage of it in the past because they thought there was a charge for this service The tour is a gift from the AntiqueClassic Division so please be sure to use it during EAA Oshkosh 90

Expansion ~ This year the AntiqueClassic area is8 being expanded to give us more parking ~ space The plans at this time are to use the t area that has been used in the past by the Q Ultralight people who have moved their

runway and display area west This will allow more area for AntiqueClassic parkshying

Because of our proximity to the showplane camping area we have been reshysponsible for the facilities there even though the camping facilities are for all showplanes not just antiques and classics We have had complaints about the lack of showers in the camping area EAA Pres ishydent Tom Poberezny and Peter Chapman at Headquarters have arranged for addishytional portable showers to relieve SOme of the pressure in this area I know that this will be good news to the people who camp here and were glad to be able to clear the air in more ways than one

Can you spare In our continued effort to improve the

AntiqueClassic Headquarters better known as the Red Barn we intend to clean up and improve the back room where our buttons are made and a lot of other business is carried on At the board meeting we disshycussed making an appeal in the magazine for some items that may be useful to us On example is a gas-powered generator It would be nice if we had the generator to run lights from time to time or a portable PA system to use during our Interview Cirshycle - even a hair dryer to dry out the magshynetos on old engines after a rain storm

Well be using a computer and several other pieces of equipment in the back area of the Red Barn It is our intention at this time to try to air-condition this office area If someone has a 6000-btu window airshyconditioner to donate it would be most apshypreciated Also we have instituted a daily newsletter titled Aerograms for the AnshytiqueClassic area and it would be helpful if we had an electric typewriter If you have

Next month will be the Sun n Fun fl y-in at Lakeland Florida This event has taken place annually for 16 years and J am sure that a number of you are quite familiar with it It is an excellent kick-off to the fly-in season Billy Henderson and his group do an excellent job organizing and bringing this event off very smoothly The city of Lakeland is a good place to visit The weather at that time of year is just beautiful and it s not far from Di sney World Florida and the surrounding area is full of antique airplanes and a lot of the m never venture beyond the state line Sun n Fun is a good opportunity to see airplanes that you wont see anywhere else in the country It middots worthwhile to go to Sun n Fun even if only for a couple of days I highly recomshymend it

AntiqueClassic Chapter I located in Florida runs the AntiqueClassic area at Sun n Fun and reall y do a good job with it They have a great headquarters with a front porch where you can sit find some shade and watch the airshow I would enshycourage you to stop by visit with these people and find out what a good group they are

EAA Oshkosh 90 Remember its not too early to start

planning for EAA Oshkosh 90 We look forward to a great Fly-in Convention this year For local accommodations or other information on housing call the EAA Housshying Hotline at 414235-3007

The EAA Air Adventure Museum has never looked better You need to visit the museum when you are in Oshkosh and be sure to be around for the Parade of Flight on Monday afternoon Please come by the Red Barn and sit on the front porch I look forward to seeing you there

Calling all type clubs I would encourage any type club memshy

bers who would like to participate in the type cub tent to get in touch with Joe Dicshykey at 8121342-6887 He needs as much advance notice as poss ible so that the proper tent tables and chairs can be proshycured If you are in a type club and have not participated in a type club tent you are really missing a fun time We have a lot of people from different type clubs who come by and want to know why their aircraft is not represented We explain to them that this is a purely volunteer effort on behalf of the type clubs It is a good gathering place for your membership Please consider taking advantage of this facility free of charge

Let s all pull together in one direction for the good of aviation Join us and have it all

PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny VICE-PRESIDENT

MARKETING amp COMMUNICATIONS Dick Mall

EDITOR Mark Phelps

ART DIRECTOR Mike Drucks ADVIERTISING Mary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Norman Petersen Dick Cavin

FEATURE WRITERS George A Hardie Jr Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Isabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Koepnick Carl Schuppel

Jeff Isom

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC

OFFICERS President Vice President

Espie Butch Joyce Arthur R Morgan 604 Highway SI 3744 North 51st Blvd

Madison NC 27025 Milwaukee WI 53216 919427-0216 414442-3631

Secretary Treasurer George S York EE Buck Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave PO Box 424 Mansfield OH 44906 Union IL 60180

419529-4378 815923-4591

DIRECTORS Robert C Bob Brauer John S Copeland

9345 S Hoyne 9 Joanne Drive Chicago IL 60620 Westborough MA 01581

312m9-2105 508366-7245 Philip Coulson William A Eickhoff

28415 Springbrook Dr 41515th Ave NE Lawton M149065 St Petersburg FL 33704

616624-6490 813823-2339 Charles Harris Stan Gomoll

3933 South Peoria 1042 90th Lane NE PO Box 904038 Minneapolis MN 55434 Tulsa OK 74105 6121784-1172

9181742-7311 Robert D Bob Lumley

Dale A Gustafson 1265 South 124th SI 7724 Shady Hill Drive Brookfield WI 53005

Indianapolis IN 46278 4141782-2633 317293-4430

Steven C NesseGene Morris 2009 Highland Ave

115C Steve Court RR 2 Albert Lea MN 56007 Roanoke TX 76262 507373-1674

817491-9110 5H OWes Schmid

Daniel Neuman 2359 Lefeber Avenue 1521 Berne Circle W Wauwatosa WI 53213

Minneapolis MN 55421 414m1-1545612571-0893

DIRECTOR EMERITUS 5J Willman

7200 SE 85th Lane Ocala FL 32672

9041245-7768

ADVISORS John Berendt Gene Chase

7645 Echo Point Rd 2159 Corlton Rd Cannon Falls MN 55009 Oshkosh WI 54904

507263-2414 414231-5002

George Daubner John A Fogerty 2448 Lough Lane 479 Highway 65 Hartford WI 53027 Roberts WI 54023

414673-5885 715425-2455

Jeannie Hill PO Box 328

Harvord IL 60033 815943-7205

MARCH 1990 bull Vol 18 No3

Copyright copy 1990 by the EAA AntiquelClassic Division Inc All rights reserved

Contents

2 Straight and Levellby Espie Butch Joyce

4 Letters to the Editor

5 Calendar

Page 6 6 Members Projectslby Norm Petersen

8 Time CapsuJelby Mark Phelps

10 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks

12 Interesting Memberlby John Berendt

14 Air Kinglby Mark Phelps and Jim Haynes

20 Aircraft Refinishinglby WD Dip Davis

24 1929 Womens Air Derby by H Glenn Buffington

28 Pass It To Bucklby E E Buck Hilbert

30 Vintage Trader

Page 2434 Mystery Planelby George Hardie Jr

FRONT COVER Susan Dusenbury in command of Travel Air NC 671H The story of Susans flight re-creating Louise Thadens 1929 victory in the first Womens Air Derby appears on page 24

(Photo by Corl Schuppel photo plane flown by Corl Koeling)

REAR COVER Susan Dusenbury poses with the Travel Air (Photo by Mork Phelps)

The WOfds EM ULTRAliGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION aldhe logos of EXPERIMENTAl AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC EAA INTERNAmiddot TIONAL CONVENTION EAA ANTlOUEiCLASSIC DIVISION INC INTERNATIONAl AEROBATK CLUB INC WARBIRDS OF AMERKA INC are regstered lrademarllts THE EAA SKY SHQPPE ard logos of he EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC ard EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are lrademarllts of he above associations ard heir use by aIrf person other han he above associations is strictly prohilited

Eltorial Poley Readers are encouraged 10 submit stories ard photographs POley opjrions expressed in articles are solely those of he authors Responsibility for racy nrepoI1ilg rests entirely with he oontriJuIor Material should be senllo Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE WrtIman Regional Airport 3000 Poberezny Rd 0sIilt0sh WI 549Q33086 Phone 4141426-4800

The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is Itjisled ard owood exclusive~ by EAA AnliquelC~ Divisioo I of he Expenmenlal AircraftAssocialion I ard is Itjished month~ at WrtIman Regional Airport 3000 PoIberezny Rd Oshkosh WI 549Q33086 Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh WI 54901 ard eddiIionaI mailing offices Merrbership rales lor EAA AnIKi~ Divisioo I are $1800 lor ourrent EAA member1 lor 121T101h period 01 v1ich $1200 is lor he Iblicalion of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE MelTlgtership is open 10 all wtlo are ~Ierested in a~alion

AiDVERTISING - AntiqueClassic Division does nol guaranlee or endorse any product offered through our advertising We invne constructive ori1icism ard welcome aIrf repor1 01 inferior merchanase obtained through our advertising so thai corrective measures can be laken

POSTMASTER Serd address changes 10 EAA AntiqueClassic Qvision I PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Share a pot of coffee Dear Butch

I want to take this opportunity to atshytempt to express to you my appreciashytion for VINTAGE AIRPLANE and of course SPORT AVIATION Each month s issue of VA clearly demonshystrates your and your staffs successshyful efforts to put out a truly fine publishycation

The articles are informative and inshyteresting to the extreme The effect of the articles which impresses me most is that the person(s) written about is someone I want to share a pot of coffee with and do some serious hangar flyshying

I am the consummate airplane nut who firmly believes that real airplanes have round engines two wings and drag their tail s This belief has deshyveloped (over more years than I would care to admit) since my first plane ride in a Ford Trimotor in 1936 through some military flying as a crew member obtaining my ticket in 1966 (which unfortunately has not been curshyrent for about five years) and too too many hundreds of hours on commershycial flights during the past 30 years To me now the apex of pleasure flyshying is to help a friend drive his J-3 around the patch

Thanks for the many many hours of pleasure VINTAGE AIRPLANE has given me

Sincerely Don Berry (EAA 161754 AIC 12107) Taylorville Illinois

GaDD about Gammas Dear Editor

I would like to add to the caption of the photograph on page 17 (Vintage Seaplanes December 1989) The Northrop Gamma Model 2B The photograph shown is a company photoshygraph dated July 1934 The locale is Lake Elsinore California where the aircraft was tested on the twin floats prior to a trip to the Antarctic Frank Hawks Bernt Balchen and Sir Hubert Wilkins flew the aircraft at that locashytion The aircraft to my knowledge is the only surviving commercial Gamma of the seven built It is on di splay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC Prior all-metal monocoque designs by Jack Northrop were the Alpha and Beta built at his 4 MARCH 1990

VI~TA(7~ AIlVLA~~

A~l2()

MAIL Burbank California company locashytion

I look forward to seeing your magazine each month I especially enshyjoyed the issue with the Douglas Hisshytorical Foundation DC-2 on the cover (September 1989) We have recently stripped the TWA markings off and will participate in airshows in the southern California area next year in a generic paint scheme

Yours truly Harry Gann Historian Douglas Historical Foundation

NewOld brochure Dear Mark

Regarding the Taylor Cub brochure on pages four and five (VINTAGE AIRPLANE July 1989) I said I would write to you and give you the story on the brochure I bought Tay lor Cub NC 17854 in the mid-1960s It had been under restoration when its hangar was destroyed by a wind storm I didn t have any information on the plane so I started the usual letter-writing camshypaign asking everyone for help Many restorers and antiquers responded One of the artifacts that came on loan was an original of this brochure

It was weathered and worn so I deshycided to reproduce it with my airplane as the subject A friend helped with the photos We had the type reset to match the original with the excepshytion of the date We used the date of manufacture of my Cub instead It s on the top line of page five

The photos were posed as near as possible to the original- all with the exception of the full photo of the plane in front of a hangar I wasn t reall y possible to take it to Harry Emery Field in Bradford Pennsylvania so I hit on the idea of posing it in front of a buildshying where Lindbergh used to pick up mail This building with the US Air Mail sign still stands on First Avshyenue Maywood Illinois a Chicago suburb It is now a part of the Hines Hospital Complex owned by the Vetshyerans Administration

The airport itself is long gone and since we couldnt fly the aircraft into the hospital complex it was necessary to get permission from the V A to bring the caravan of rental trucks and several cars into the compound We arranged the procession on a Sunday early in the spring of 1970 and unloaded the Cub on the edge of the parking lot We assembled the plane for the photo sesshysion then tore it down and loaded it in the truck for the trip to the airport where I completed the restoration This was the first airplane to visit the site since the field was closed in 1927 just shortly after Lindbergh returned from Paris The V A requested copies of the photos to include in the archives of the building and the Old Maywood Airshyport the site upon which the building was erected

Maywood Field was a modem airshyport with permanent buildings and cinshyder runways It came into being when the field across the street was closed in 1925 That airport is to be remembered as Checkerboard Field and it was the site of Chicagos early Air Mail Sershyvices

When the Cub was completed it made one of its first appearances at the EAA Convention It has been there several times Its last visit was in 1980 Thanks for printing the brochure I hope everyone enjoyed seeing it as much as I enjoyed making it

Dick Hill Harvard Illinois

MODE C RULE NOT APPLICABLE TO SUN n FUN

Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In officials have announced that transponders and encoders will not be required by aircraft planning to attend the 1990 EAA convention in Lakeland Florida Plans by FAA to designate the airspace at Tampa International Airport and at Orlando Jetport as Terminal Control Areas (TCAs) has been scheduled for later this year and therefore will have no effect on this years event

April 8-14 - Lakeland Florida 16th annual Sun n Fun 90 EAA Fly-in Lakeland Municipal Airport Contact Sun n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc PO Box 6750 Lakeland Florida Tel 813 644-2431

May 4-6 Burlington North Carolina Burlington Airport Sponshysored by AntiqueClassic Chapter 3 Contact Ray Bottom co Antique Airshyways 103 Powhatan Parkway Hampton Virginia 23661 Tel 804 722-5056

May 5-6 - Winchester Virginia Winchester Regional EAA Spring Flyshyin Winchester Airport Sponsored by EAA Chapter 186 Contact George Lutz Tel 7031256-7873

May 6 - Rockford Illinois EAA Chapter 22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast Mark Clark s Courtesy Aircraft Greater Rockford Airport 700 am to noon ATIS 1267 Contact Wallace Hunt 815332-4708

May 19-20 - Hampton New Hampshyshire Fourteenth Annual Aviation Flea Market Hampton Airfield Hampton New Hampshire Anything aviation reshylated okay No fees Camping on airshyfield Contact Mike Hart Hampton Airfield Route US I North Hampton New Hampshire Tel 603964-6749

May 20 - Benton Harbor Michigan Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585 Dawn Patrol BreakfastLunch Inshycludes boat and classic car show Ross Field Benton Harbor Michigan Conshytact Al Todd PO Box 61 Stevensville Michigan 49127 Tel 616429-2929

j une 1-2 - Bartlesville Oklahoma Biplane Expo 90 the National Bishyplane Association s Fourth Annual Convention and Exposition Frank Phillips Field Bartlesville Oklahoma Free to members of NBA For memshybership information contact Charles Harris NBA Hangar 5 4-J Aviation Jones-Riverside Airport Tulsa Okshylahoma Tel 918299-2532

j une 8-10 - Middletown Ohio Fifth National Aeronca Convention Aeronca factory Includes factory tour and visit to USAF Museum Contact Augie Wegner National Aeronca Asshysociation PO Box 2219 Terre Haute Indiana 47802 Tel 812232-1491

june 22-24 - Pauls Valley Okshylahoma Greater Oklahoma City AAA Chapter Fly-in Contact Dick Darnell 100 Park Avenue Building Suite 604 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 73102 Tel 405236-5635

july 27-August 2 - Oshkosh Wisshyconsin 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Conshyvention EAA Oshkosh 90 Wittman Regional Airport Oshkosh Wisconsin Contact EAA EAA Aviashytion Center Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Tel 414426-4800

September 8 - Chico California Chico Antique Airshow Chico Airshyport Contact Chico Antique Airshow Committee 6 St Helens Lane Chico California 95926 Tel 916342-3730

September 15-16 - Rock Falls Ilshylinois Fourth Annual North Central EAA Old Fashioned Fly-in Pancake breakfast Sunday Contact Dave Chrisshytansen at 815625-6556

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is $3000 for one year including 12 issues of Sport Aviation Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $1800 annually Family Membershyship is available for an additional $1000 annually

ANTIQUECLASSICS EAA Member - $1800 Includes one year membership in EAA Anshytique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane and membership card Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EAA membership number

Non-EAA Member - $2800 Inshycludes one year membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airshyplane one year membership in the EAA and separate membership cards Sport Aviation not included

lAC Membership in the International Aerobatic Club Inc is $2500 anshynually which includes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics All lAC members are required to be members of EAA

WARBIRDS Membership in the Warbirds of America Inc is $25 00 per year which includes a subscription to Warbirds Warbird members are required to be members of EAA

EAA EXPERIMENTER EAA membership and EAA EXPERIshyMENTER magazine is available for $2800 per year (Sport Aviation not included) Current EAA members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER for $1800 per year

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars

Make checks payable to EAA or the division in which membership is desired Address all letters to EAA or the particular division at the folshylowing address

EAA A VIATION CENTER OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086

PHONE (414) 426-4800 OFFICE HOURS

815-500 MON-FRI

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

MEMBERS~ PROJECTS by Nonn Petersen

This very nicely restored Ryan ST3-KR (PT-221 N46745 SIN 2131 was photographed at the 1989 Arlington Washington Fly-In It was flown in by owner Craig Nelson of Eastsound WA Note the line finish on the fuselage and the aileron counterweights which balance the ailerons by going down through a hole in the wing fabric Power is supplied by a 160-hp Kinner R-540 engine

Pictured at the Grove City Pennsylvania airport on its 50th birthday (May 27 19891 is Piper J3C-65 Cub NC23462 SIN 3195 owned by William E Davis (EM 2385831 of 379 Woodworth Marine City Michigan 48039 Nic-named Scorchy the 1939 woodspar Cub is adorned in WW II CAP colors Bill Davis would like very much to correspond with anyone having knowlshyedge of CAP activities in World War II

6 MARCH 1990

These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

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Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

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PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny VICE-PRESIDENT

MARKETING amp COMMUNICATIONS Dick Mall

EDITOR Mark Phelps

ART DIRECTOR Mike Drucks ADVIERTISING Mary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Norman Petersen Dick Cavin

FEATURE WRITERS George A Hardie Jr Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Isabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Koepnick Carl Schuppel

Jeff Isom

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC

OFFICERS President Vice President

Espie Butch Joyce Arthur R Morgan 604 Highway SI 3744 North 51st Blvd

Madison NC 27025 Milwaukee WI 53216 919427-0216 414442-3631

Secretary Treasurer George S York EE Buck Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave PO Box 424 Mansfield OH 44906 Union IL 60180

419529-4378 815923-4591

DIRECTORS Robert C Bob Brauer John S Copeland

9345 S Hoyne 9 Joanne Drive Chicago IL 60620 Westborough MA 01581

312m9-2105 508366-7245 Philip Coulson William A Eickhoff

28415 Springbrook Dr 41515th Ave NE Lawton M149065 St Petersburg FL 33704

616624-6490 813823-2339 Charles Harris Stan Gomoll

3933 South Peoria 1042 90th Lane NE PO Box 904038 Minneapolis MN 55434 Tulsa OK 74105 6121784-1172

9181742-7311 Robert D Bob Lumley

Dale A Gustafson 1265 South 124th SI 7724 Shady Hill Drive Brookfield WI 53005

Indianapolis IN 46278 4141782-2633 317293-4430

Steven C NesseGene Morris 2009 Highland Ave

115C Steve Court RR 2 Albert Lea MN 56007 Roanoke TX 76262 507373-1674

817491-9110 5H OWes Schmid

Daniel Neuman 2359 Lefeber Avenue 1521 Berne Circle W Wauwatosa WI 53213

Minneapolis MN 55421 414m1-1545612571-0893

DIRECTOR EMERITUS 5J Willman

7200 SE 85th Lane Ocala FL 32672

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ADVISORS John Berendt Gene Chase

7645 Echo Point Rd 2159 Corlton Rd Cannon Falls MN 55009 Oshkosh WI 54904

507263-2414 414231-5002

George Daubner John A Fogerty 2448 Lough Lane 479 Highway 65 Hartford WI 53027 Roberts WI 54023

414673-5885 715425-2455

Jeannie Hill PO Box 328

Harvord IL 60033 815943-7205

MARCH 1990 bull Vol 18 No3

Copyright copy 1990 by the EAA AntiquelClassic Division Inc All rights reserved

Contents

2 Straight and Levellby Espie Butch Joyce

4 Letters to the Editor

5 Calendar

Page 6 6 Members Projectslby Norm Petersen

8 Time CapsuJelby Mark Phelps

10 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks

12 Interesting Memberlby John Berendt

14 Air Kinglby Mark Phelps and Jim Haynes

20 Aircraft Refinishinglby WD Dip Davis

24 1929 Womens Air Derby by H Glenn Buffington

28 Pass It To Bucklby E E Buck Hilbert

30 Vintage Trader

Page 2434 Mystery Planelby George Hardie Jr

FRONT COVER Susan Dusenbury in command of Travel Air NC 671H The story of Susans flight re-creating Louise Thadens 1929 victory in the first Womens Air Derby appears on page 24

(Photo by Corl Schuppel photo plane flown by Corl Koeling)

REAR COVER Susan Dusenbury poses with the Travel Air (Photo by Mork Phelps)

The WOfds EM ULTRAliGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION aldhe logos of EXPERIMENTAl AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC EAA INTERNAmiddot TIONAL CONVENTION EAA ANTlOUEiCLASSIC DIVISION INC INTERNATIONAl AEROBATK CLUB INC WARBIRDS OF AMERKA INC are regstered lrademarllts THE EAA SKY SHQPPE ard logos of he EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC ard EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are lrademarllts of he above associations ard heir use by aIrf person other han he above associations is strictly prohilited

Eltorial Poley Readers are encouraged 10 submit stories ard photographs POley opjrions expressed in articles are solely those of he authors Responsibility for racy nrepoI1ilg rests entirely with he oontriJuIor Material should be senllo Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE WrtIman Regional Airport 3000 Poberezny Rd 0sIilt0sh WI 549Q33086 Phone 4141426-4800

The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is Itjisled ard owood exclusive~ by EAA AnliquelC~ Divisioo I of he Expenmenlal AircraftAssocialion I ard is Itjished month~ at WrtIman Regional Airport 3000 PoIberezny Rd Oshkosh WI 549Q33086 Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh WI 54901 ard eddiIionaI mailing offices Merrbership rales lor EAA AnIKi~ Divisioo I are $1800 lor ourrent EAA member1 lor 121T101h period 01 v1ich $1200 is lor he Iblicalion of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE MelTlgtership is open 10 all wtlo are ~Ierested in a~alion

AiDVERTISING - AntiqueClassic Division does nol guaranlee or endorse any product offered through our advertising We invne constructive ori1icism ard welcome aIrf repor1 01 inferior merchanase obtained through our advertising so thai corrective measures can be laken

POSTMASTER Serd address changes 10 EAA AntiqueClassic Qvision I PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Share a pot of coffee Dear Butch

I want to take this opportunity to atshytempt to express to you my appreciashytion for VINTAGE AIRPLANE and of course SPORT AVIATION Each month s issue of VA clearly demonshystrates your and your staffs successshyful efforts to put out a truly fine publishycation

The articles are informative and inshyteresting to the extreme The effect of the articles which impresses me most is that the person(s) written about is someone I want to share a pot of coffee with and do some serious hangar flyshying

I am the consummate airplane nut who firmly believes that real airplanes have round engines two wings and drag their tail s This belief has deshyveloped (over more years than I would care to admit) since my first plane ride in a Ford Trimotor in 1936 through some military flying as a crew member obtaining my ticket in 1966 (which unfortunately has not been curshyrent for about five years) and too too many hundreds of hours on commershycial flights during the past 30 years To me now the apex of pleasure flyshying is to help a friend drive his J-3 around the patch

Thanks for the many many hours of pleasure VINTAGE AIRPLANE has given me

Sincerely Don Berry (EAA 161754 AIC 12107) Taylorville Illinois

GaDD about Gammas Dear Editor

I would like to add to the caption of the photograph on page 17 (Vintage Seaplanes December 1989) The Northrop Gamma Model 2B The photograph shown is a company photoshygraph dated July 1934 The locale is Lake Elsinore California where the aircraft was tested on the twin floats prior to a trip to the Antarctic Frank Hawks Bernt Balchen and Sir Hubert Wilkins flew the aircraft at that locashytion The aircraft to my knowledge is the only surviving commercial Gamma of the seven built It is on di splay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC Prior all-metal monocoque designs by Jack Northrop were the Alpha and Beta built at his 4 MARCH 1990

VI~TA(7~ AIlVLA~~

A~l2()

MAIL Burbank California company locashytion

I look forward to seeing your magazine each month I especially enshyjoyed the issue with the Douglas Hisshytorical Foundation DC-2 on the cover (September 1989) We have recently stripped the TWA markings off and will participate in airshows in the southern California area next year in a generic paint scheme

Yours truly Harry Gann Historian Douglas Historical Foundation

NewOld brochure Dear Mark

Regarding the Taylor Cub brochure on pages four and five (VINTAGE AIRPLANE July 1989) I said I would write to you and give you the story on the brochure I bought Tay lor Cub NC 17854 in the mid-1960s It had been under restoration when its hangar was destroyed by a wind storm I didn t have any information on the plane so I started the usual letter-writing camshypaign asking everyone for help Many restorers and antiquers responded One of the artifacts that came on loan was an original of this brochure

It was weathered and worn so I deshycided to reproduce it with my airplane as the subject A friend helped with the photos We had the type reset to match the original with the excepshytion of the date We used the date of manufacture of my Cub instead It s on the top line of page five

The photos were posed as near as possible to the original- all with the exception of the full photo of the plane in front of a hangar I wasn t reall y possible to take it to Harry Emery Field in Bradford Pennsylvania so I hit on the idea of posing it in front of a buildshying where Lindbergh used to pick up mail This building with the US Air Mail sign still stands on First Avshyenue Maywood Illinois a Chicago suburb It is now a part of the Hines Hospital Complex owned by the Vetshyerans Administration

The airport itself is long gone and since we couldnt fly the aircraft into the hospital complex it was necessary to get permission from the V A to bring the caravan of rental trucks and several cars into the compound We arranged the procession on a Sunday early in the spring of 1970 and unloaded the Cub on the edge of the parking lot We assembled the plane for the photo sesshysion then tore it down and loaded it in the truck for the trip to the airport where I completed the restoration This was the first airplane to visit the site since the field was closed in 1927 just shortly after Lindbergh returned from Paris The V A requested copies of the photos to include in the archives of the building and the Old Maywood Airshyport the site upon which the building was erected

Maywood Field was a modem airshyport with permanent buildings and cinshyder runways It came into being when the field across the street was closed in 1925 That airport is to be remembered as Checkerboard Field and it was the site of Chicagos early Air Mail Sershyvices

When the Cub was completed it made one of its first appearances at the EAA Convention It has been there several times Its last visit was in 1980 Thanks for printing the brochure I hope everyone enjoyed seeing it as much as I enjoyed making it

Dick Hill Harvard Illinois

MODE C RULE NOT APPLICABLE TO SUN n FUN

Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In officials have announced that transponders and encoders will not be required by aircraft planning to attend the 1990 EAA convention in Lakeland Florida Plans by FAA to designate the airspace at Tampa International Airport and at Orlando Jetport as Terminal Control Areas (TCAs) has been scheduled for later this year and therefore will have no effect on this years event

April 8-14 - Lakeland Florida 16th annual Sun n Fun 90 EAA Fly-in Lakeland Municipal Airport Contact Sun n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc PO Box 6750 Lakeland Florida Tel 813 644-2431

May 4-6 Burlington North Carolina Burlington Airport Sponshysored by AntiqueClassic Chapter 3 Contact Ray Bottom co Antique Airshyways 103 Powhatan Parkway Hampton Virginia 23661 Tel 804 722-5056

May 5-6 - Winchester Virginia Winchester Regional EAA Spring Flyshyin Winchester Airport Sponsored by EAA Chapter 186 Contact George Lutz Tel 7031256-7873

May 6 - Rockford Illinois EAA Chapter 22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast Mark Clark s Courtesy Aircraft Greater Rockford Airport 700 am to noon ATIS 1267 Contact Wallace Hunt 815332-4708

May 19-20 - Hampton New Hampshyshire Fourteenth Annual Aviation Flea Market Hampton Airfield Hampton New Hampshire Anything aviation reshylated okay No fees Camping on airshyfield Contact Mike Hart Hampton Airfield Route US I North Hampton New Hampshire Tel 603964-6749

May 20 - Benton Harbor Michigan Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585 Dawn Patrol BreakfastLunch Inshycludes boat and classic car show Ross Field Benton Harbor Michigan Conshytact Al Todd PO Box 61 Stevensville Michigan 49127 Tel 616429-2929

j une 1-2 - Bartlesville Oklahoma Biplane Expo 90 the National Bishyplane Association s Fourth Annual Convention and Exposition Frank Phillips Field Bartlesville Oklahoma Free to members of NBA For memshybership information contact Charles Harris NBA Hangar 5 4-J Aviation Jones-Riverside Airport Tulsa Okshylahoma Tel 918299-2532

j une 8-10 - Middletown Ohio Fifth National Aeronca Convention Aeronca factory Includes factory tour and visit to USAF Museum Contact Augie Wegner National Aeronca Asshysociation PO Box 2219 Terre Haute Indiana 47802 Tel 812232-1491

june 22-24 - Pauls Valley Okshylahoma Greater Oklahoma City AAA Chapter Fly-in Contact Dick Darnell 100 Park Avenue Building Suite 604 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 73102 Tel 405236-5635

july 27-August 2 - Oshkosh Wisshyconsin 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Conshyvention EAA Oshkosh 90 Wittman Regional Airport Oshkosh Wisconsin Contact EAA EAA Aviashytion Center Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Tel 414426-4800

September 8 - Chico California Chico Antique Airshow Chico Airshyport Contact Chico Antique Airshow Committee 6 St Helens Lane Chico California 95926 Tel 916342-3730

September 15-16 - Rock Falls Ilshylinois Fourth Annual North Central EAA Old Fashioned Fly-in Pancake breakfast Sunday Contact Dave Chrisshytansen at 815625-6556

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is $3000 for one year including 12 issues of Sport Aviation Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $1800 annually Family Membershyship is available for an additional $1000 annually

ANTIQUECLASSICS EAA Member - $1800 Includes one year membership in EAA Anshytique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane and membership card Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EAA membership number

Non-EAA Member - $2800 Inshycludes one year membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airshyplane one year membership in the EAA and separate membership cards Sport Aviation not included

lAC Membership in the International Aerobatic Club Inc is $2500 anshynually which includes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics All lAC members are required to be members of EAA

WARBIRDS Membership in the Warbirds of America Inc is $25 00 per year which includes a subscription to Warbirds Warbird members are required to be members of EAA

EAA EXPERIMENTER EAA membership and EAA EXPERIshyMENTER magazine is available for $2800 per year (Sport Aviation not included) Current EAA members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER for $1800 per year

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars

Make checks payable to EAA or the division in which membership is desired Address all letters to EAA or the particular division at the folshylowing address

EAA A VIATION CENTER OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086

PHONE (414) 426-4800 OFFICE HOURS

815-500 MON-FRI

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

MEMBERS~ PROJECTS by Nonn Petersen

This very nicely restored Ryan ST3-KR (PT-221 N46745 SIN 2131 was photographed at the 1989 Arlington Washington Fly-In It was flown in by owner Craig Nelson of Eastsound WA Note the line finish on the fuselage and the aileron counterweights which balance the ailerons by going down through a hole in the wing fabric Power is supplied by a 160-hp Kinner R-540 engine

Pictured at the Grove City Pennsylvania airport on its 50th birthday (May 27 19891 is Piper J3C-65 Cub NC23462 SIN 3195 owned by William E Davis (EM 2385831 of 379 Woodworth Marine City Michigan 48039 Nic-named Scorchy the 1939 woodspar Cub is adorned in WW II CAP colors Bill Davis would like very much to correspond with anyone having knowlshyedge of CAP activities in World War II

6 MARCH 1990

These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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Share a pot of coffee Dear Butch

I want to take this opportunity to atshytempt to express to you my appreciashytion for VINTAGE AIRPLANE and of course SPORT AVIATION Each month s issue of VA clearly demonshystrates your and your staffs successshyful efforts to put out a truly fine publishycation

The articles are informative and inshyteresting to the extreme The effect of the articles which impresses me most is that the person(s) written about is someone I want to share a pot of coffee with and do some serious hangar flyshying

I am the consummate airplane nut who firmly believes that real airplanes have round engines two wings and drag their tail s This belief has deshyveloped (over more years than I would care to admit) since my first plane ride in a Ford Trimotor in 1936 through some military flying as a crew member obtaining my ticket in 1966 (which unfortunately has not been curshyrent for about five years) and too too many hundreds of hours on commershycial flights during the past 30 years To me now the apex of pleasure flyshying is to help a friend drive his J-3 around the patch

Thanks for the many many hours of pleasure VINTAGE AIRPLANE has given me

Sincerely Don Berry (EAA 161754 AIC 12107) Taylorville Illinois

GaDD about Gammas Dear Editor

I would like to add to the caption of the photograph on page 17 (Vintage Seaplanes December 1989) The Northrop Gamma Model 2B The photograph shown is a company photoshygraph dated July 1934 The locale is Lake Elsinore California where the aircraft was tested on the twin floats prior to a trip to the Antarctic Frank Hawks Bernt Balchen and Sir Hubert Wilkins flew the aircraft at that locashytion The aircraft to my knowledge is the only surviving commercial Gamma of the seven built It is on di splay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC Prior all-metal monocoque designs by Jack Northrop were the Alpha and Beta built at his 4 MARCH 1990

VI~TA(7~ AIlVLA~~

A~l2()

MAIL Burbank California company locashytion

I look forward to seeing your magazine each month I especially enshyjoyed the issue with the Douglas Hisshytorical Foundation DC-2 on the cover (September 1989) We have recently stripped the TWA markings off and will participate in airshows in the southern California area next year in a generic paint scheme

Yours truly Harry Gann Historian Douglas Historical Foundation

NewOld brochure Dear Mark

Regarding the Taylor Cub brochure on pages four and five (VINTAGE AIRPLANE July 1989) I said I would write to you and give you the story on the brochure I bought Tay lor Cub NC 17854 in the mid-1960s It had been under restoration when its hangar was destroyed by a wind storm I didn t have any information on the plane so I started the usual letter-writing camshypaign asking everyone for help Many restorers and antiquers responded One of the artifacts that came on loan was an original of this brochure

It was weathered and worn so I deshycided to reproduce it with my airplane as the subject A friend helped with the photos We had the type reset to match the original with the excepshytion of the date We used the date of manufacture of my Cub instead It s on the top line of page five

The photos were posed as near as possible to the original- all with the exception of the full photo of the plane in front of a hangar I wasn t reall y possible to take it to Harry Emery Field in Bradford Pennsylvania so I hit on the idea of posing it in front of a buildshying where Lindbergh used to pick up mail This building with the US Air Mail sign still stands on First Avshyenue Maywood Illinois a Chicago suburb It is now a part of the Hines Hospital Complex owned by the Vetshyerans Administration

The airport itself is long gone and since we couldnt fly the aircraft into the hospital complex it was necessary to get permission from the V A to bring the caravan of rental trucks and several cars into the compound We arranged the procession on a Sunday early in the spring of 1970 and unloaded the Cub on the edge of the parking lot We assembled the plane for the photo sesshysion then tore it down and loaded it in the truck for the trip to the airport where I completed the restoration This was the first airplane to visit the site since the field was closed in 1927 just shortly after Lindbergh returned from Paris The V A requested copies of the photos to include in the archives of the building and the Old Maywood Airshyport the site upon which the building was erected

Maywood Field was a modem airshyport with permanent buildings and cinshyder runways It came into being when the field across the street was closed in 1925 That airport is to be remembered as Checkerboard Field and it was the site of Chicagos early Air Mail Sershyvices

When the Cub was completed it made one of its first appearances at the EAA Convention It has been there several times Its last visit was in 1980 Thanks for printing the brochure I hope everyone enjoyed seeing it as much as I enjoyed making it

Dick Hill Harvard Illinois

MODE C RULE NOT APPLICABLE TO SUN n FUN

Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In officials have announced that transponders and encoders will not be required by aircraft planning to attend the 1990 EAA convention in Lakeland Florida Plans by FAA to designate the airspace at Tampa International Airport and at Orlando Jetport as Terminal Control Areas (TCAs) has been scheduled for later this year and therefore will have no effect on this years event

April 8-14 - Lakeland Florida 16th annual Sun n Fun 90 EAA Fly-in Lakeland Municipal Airport Contact Sun n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc PO Box 6750 Lakeland Florida Tel 813 644-2431

May 4-6 Burlington North Carolina Burlington Airport Sponshysored by AntiqueClassic Chapter 3 Contact Ray Bottom co Antique Airshyways 103 Powhatan Parkway Hampton Virginia 23661 Tel 804 722-5056

May 5-6 - Winchester Virginia Winchester Regional EAA Spring Flyshyin Winchester Airport Sponsored by EAA Chapter 186 Contact George Lutz Tel 7031256-7873

May 6 - Rockford Illinois EAA Chapter 22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast Mark Clark s Courtesy Aircraft Greater Rockford Airport 700 am to noon ATIS 1267 Contact Wallace Hunt 815332-4708

May 19-20 - Hampton New Hampshyshire Fourteenth Annual Aviation Flea Market Hampton Airfield Hampton New Hampshire Anything aviation reshylated okay No fees Camping on airshyfield Contact Mike Hart Hampton Airfield Route US I North Hampton New Hampshire Tel 603964-6749

May 20 - Benton Harbor Michigan Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585 Dawn Patrol BreakfastLunch Inshycludes boat and classic car show Ross Field Benton Harbor Michigan Conshytact Al Todd PO Box 61 Stevensville Michigan 49127 Tel 616429-2929

j une 1-2 - Bartlesville Oklahoma Biplane Expo 90 the National Bishyplane Association s Fourth Annual Convention and Exposition Frank Phillips Field Bartlesville Oklahoma Free to members of NBA For memshybership information contact Charles Harris NBA Hangar 5 4-J Aviation Jones-Riverside Airport Tulsa Okshylahoma Tel 918299-2532

j une 8-10 - Middletown Ohio Fifth National Aeronca Convention Aeronca factory Includes factory tour and visit to USAF Museum Contact Augie Wegner National Aeronca Asshysociation PO Box 2219 Terre Haute Indiana 47802 Tel 812232-1491

june 22-24 - Pauls Valley Okshylahoma Greater Oklahoma City AAA Chapter Fly-in Contact Dick Darnell 100 Park Avenue Building Suite 604 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 73102 Tel 405236-5635

july 27-August 2 - Oshkosh Wisshyconsin 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Conshyvention EAA Oshkosh 90 Wittman Regional Airport Oshkosh Wisconsin Contact EAA EAA Aviashytion Center Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Tel 414426-4800

September 8 - Chico California Chico Antique Airshow Chico Airshyport Contact Chico Antique Airshow Committee 6 St Helens Lane Chico California 95926 Tel 916342-3730

September 15-16 - Rock Falls Ilshylinois Fourth Annual North Central EAA Old Fashioned Fly-in Pancake breakfast Sunday Contact Dave Chrisshytansen at 815625-6556

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is $3000 for one year including 12 issues of Sport Aviation Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $1800 annually Family Membershyship is available for an additional $1000 annually

ANTIQUECLASSICS EAA Member - $1800 Includes one year membership in EAA Anshytique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane and membership card Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EAA membership number

Non-EAA Member - $2800 Inshycludes one year membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airshyplane one year membership in the EAA and separate membership cards Sport Aviation not included

lAC Membership in the International Aerobatic Club Inc is $2500 anshynually which includes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics All lAC members are required to be members of EAA

WARBIRDS Membership in the Warbirds of America Inc is $25 00 per year which includes a subscription to Warbirds Warbird members are required to be members of EAA

EAA EXPERIMENTER EAA membership and EAA EXPERIshyMENTER magazine is available for $2800 per year (Sport Aviation not included) Current EAA members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER for $1800 per year

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars

Make checks payable to EAA or the division in which membership is desired Address all letters to EAA or the particular division at the folshylowing address

EAA A VIATION CENTER OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086

PHONE (414) 426-4800 OFFICE HOURS

815-500 MON-FRI

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

MEMBERS~ PROJECTS by Nonn Petersen

This very nicely restored Ryan ST3-KR (PT-221 N46745 SIN 2131 was photographed at the 1989 Arlington Washington Fly-In It was flown in by owner Craig Nelson of Eastsound WA Note the line finish on the fuselage and the aileron counterweights which balance the ailerons by going down through a hole in the wing fabric Power is supplied by a 160-hp Kinner R-540 engine

Pictured at the Grove City Pennsylvania airport on its 50th birthday (May 27 19891 is Piper J3C-65 Cub NC23462 SIN 3195 owned by William E Davis (EM 2385831 of 379 Woodworth Marine City Michigan 48039 Nic-named Scorchy the 1939 woodspar Cub is adorned in WW II CAP colors Bill Davis would like very much to correspond with anyone having knowlshyedge of CAP activities in World War II

6 MARCH 1990

These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

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ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

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Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

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32 MARCH 1990

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Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In officials have announced that transponders and encoders will not be required by aircraft planning to attend the 1990 EAA convention in Lakeland Florida Plans by FAA to designate the airspace at Tampa International Airport and at Orlando Jetport as Terminal Control Areas (TCAs) has been scheduled for later this year and therefore will have no effect on this years event

April 8-14 - Lakeland Florida 16th annual Sun n Fun 90 EAA Fly-in Lakeland Municipal Airport Contact Sun n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc PO Box 6750 Lakeland Florida Tel 813 644-2431

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j une 1-2 - Bartlesville Oklahoma Biplane Expo 90 the National Bishyplane Association s Fourth Annual Convention and Exposition Frank Phillips Field Bartlesville Oklahoma Free to members of NBA For memshybership information contact Charles Harris NBA Hangar 5 4-J Aviation Jones-Riverside Airport Tulsa Okshylahoma Tel 918299-2532

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

MEMBERS~ PROJECTS by Nonn Petersen

This very nicely restored Ryan ST3-KR (PT-221 N46745 SIN 2131 was photographed at the 1989 Arlington Washington Fly-In It was flown in by owner Craig Nelson of Eastsound WA Note the line finish on the fuselage and the aileron counterweights which balance the ailerons by going down through a hole in the wing fabric Power is supplied by a 160-hp Kinner R-540 engine

Pictured at the Grove City Pennsylvania airport on its 50th birthday (May 27 19891 is Piper J3C-65 Cub NC23462 SIN 3195 owned by William E Davis (EM 2385831 of 379 Woodworth Marine City Michigan 48039 Nic-named Scorchy the 1939 woodspar Cub is adorned in WW II CAP colors Bill Davis would like very much to correspond with anyone having knowlshyedge of CAP activities in World War II

6 MARCH 1990

These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

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ENGINES

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JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

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and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

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Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

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TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

MEMBERS~ PROJECTS by Nonn Petersen

This very nicely restored Ryan ST3-KR (PT-221 N46745 SIN 2131 was photographed at the 1989 Arlington Washington Fly-In It was flown in by owner Craig Nelson of Eastsound WA Note the line finish on the fuselage and the aileron counterweights which balance the ailerons by going down through a hole in the wing fabric Power is supplied by a 160-hp Kinner R-540 engine

Pictured at the Grove City Pennsylvania airport on its 50th birthday (May 27 19891 is Piper J3C-65 Cub NC23462 SIN 3195 owned by William E Davis (EM 2385831 of 379 Woodworth Marine City Michigan 48039 Nic-named Scorchy the 1939 woodspar Cub is adorned in WW II CAP colors Bill Davis would like very much to correspond with anyone having knowlshyedge of CAP activities in World War II

6 MARCH 1990

These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

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These photos were sent in by Rudy Krens (EAA 334248 Ale 14096) whose address is Ulst 63861 LW Nijkerk Holland Rudy purchased this Boeing Stearman PT-17 in 1988 from the Air Repair Shop in

Cleveland Mississippi and had it shipped to Holland in a container Based at Lelystad airfield which is 30

feet below sea level in the central polderland the aircraft is considered the lowest flying Stearman in the world

It is still registered in the United States for ease of certification

This is Rudys second Stearman having owned a 450 Stearman three years ago which he purchased in

Abilene Texas This Stearman is now based in Belgium

Rudys blue amp yellow 220 Stearman is part of a Flying Museum in Holland that includes a number of

aircraft and associated activities We hope to bring you a story on this unique museum in the future - Norm Petersen

The Stearman is carefully assembled after the parts are removed from the shipping container Here the center section is being installed on the struts Note the nicely overhauled 220 Continental engine and Hamilton Standard prop

If you are going to fly a Stearman you must first put on the leather With the engine ticking over the pilot and passenger get ready jacket Note radio antenna on belly of Stearman to taxi - Hush-A-Com headsets handling both radio and intershy

com Note inertia starter shaft sticking out of cowl with engine primer just below it Very neat restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

T he Time CaR_s_u_l_e_bY_Ma_rk_p_hez_ps_

19lO Beacher Replica Vern Dallman is having a ball chese da ys re-crea ting che excicemenc Lincoln Beachey gencraccd wich his LjccJe Looper in 191 I He flies a rcplica ofBeacheys revolucionary aircra ft Verns Replica was builc in 1968 by Wale Bullock of Minn eapolis Minnesoca As chis phoco shows his is noc che only replica ever buill This one has a radial rather than a rotary eng ine (Beacheys had a Gnome Dallmans has a LeRhone) and convelllional controls Beacheys ship had rh e standard Gurtiss shoulder yoke for a ileron cOlllrol and a cOlllrol wheel co activate the elevators and rudder Th e mosr noriceable deviacons on this replica are rh e sreel wbe fuselage replacing Beacheys wood fimiddotame and fat-wing airfoils with convelllional ailerons Beachey had illlerplane ailerons and a radica lly rhin airfoil section Th e photo is late 1920s vintage 10 ro 15 years a fter Beachey s dea th indica ring rhe admira tion wirh which aviarion enthusiasrs revered his memory

Radtke CulccliorJ No 67H

Stearman C3B U oyd Srea rman euc his reerh on che New Swa llow in 1924 one of che airplanes whose airframe improvemellls finally pur che prolific J enny co resr as a commercial aircraft His nexr act was to marry che dynamic HrightJ-5 Whirwind of [indbergh fam e CO a rugged new airframe The Stearman C3B wa s also che first aircraft produced encirely ac the Scearman fa ccory in Wichica Kansas The lacesc Scearman won respecc as a viceless chree-place commercial ship and ca rrier of che mail Well-heeled sportsma n pilocs also coveced che C3B This exa mple is filled wich a blind-flying hood for craining TWA air mail pilots C3Bs also introduced American Airways pilocs co chc in f1 nc praccice ofinsrrwnclll flying and radio guidance

Radtke Collcnion No 918

8 MARCH 1990

Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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30 MARCH 1990

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Northrop Delta Th e Northrop Delta was an example of a manu facturer taking a succfss ful design and enla rg ing it both in size a nd intended mission The Delea shared its wings and landing gear with the highly successful Gamma bur its monocoque fu selage was expanded to accommodate eight passengers or a correspondingly iocreased ca rgo load Its career as a trunk carrier was impeded by a govanment ruling against using single-engine aircraft in that role Th e directive cam e as a resule of som e accidents one of the lirst or a continuing series of event-driven legislation that continues to this day Some Deltas were exported to Sweden but its most glamorous role was that of executive transport for wea lthy businessm en Delea Execurive owners included movie producer Hal Roa ch Stewarr Pulirzer PoweJl Crosley Earl P Haliburton Wilbur M ay and the Richlield Oil Company The Delta was powered by the enormous nine-cylinder W right Cyclone rated at 71 0 to 735 hp

Rad fke Collcction No 8 7

Bernelli UB-14 Th e U B-1 4 prototype was completed in 1935 by the Burnelli A ircra ft Corporation of Keyport New J ersey Th e company was a development vehicle for Vin cent Burnellis experimentation in fl ying-wing transport concepts and the UB-14 was rhe la resr in a series of such aircraft Thc airfoil shaped fil selage made up the center section of the wing aod iocorporated the passenger compartmenr cockpir and engine nacelles The twin boom tail section and wings were areached to rh e fu selage The UB- 14 had retractable landing gea r and two Prate amp Whirn ey 680-hp engines I t accommodated 14 passengers and two pilots Cruise speed at 10000 feet was 205 mph Previous conligurations of the sa me design were powered by 650-hp Curtiss Conqueror engines and 900-hp Packards both liquid-cooled

Rlrrkc Collection No 983

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

by ()ennis Valks

IAA Llb-aO4rdllves ()I-ect()-

Stearman Hammond

Bellanca Pacemaker

Aircraft in service with the Bureau of Air Commerce

In 1936 the Bureau of Air Comshymerce of the Department of Commerce was the federal agency responsible for supervision of c ivil aviation This agency was a successor to the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which was formed by the Air Commerce Act of 1926

This act provided for the type-cershytification of aircraft and provided for fie ld inspectors to work about the

country Appropriately the agency purshychased aircraft for its staff to use

The first two aircraft purchased by the Aeronautics Branch were Buhl Airsters which were the first type-cershytificated aircraft produced An examinshyation of the register for licensed airshycraft in 1936 shows 70 aircraft owned by the Bureau of Air Commerce The oldest aircraft on the list were conshystructed in 1927 These were NS 3 a Buhl Airster and NS 10 a Laird LC-B

Examination of the list also shows that the Bureau was re-issuing numbers

Kinner Playboy

in its NS series There is a gap - NS 4 to NS 16 - between a 1927 Buhl and a 1928 Stearman that was later filled by aircraft built in 1934

The most popular aircraft purchased by the Bureau was the Monocoupe with 20 D-145s and -IOOs on the list Next most popular was the Stinson Reshyliant with eight purchased

The following is compi led from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce s 1936 edition of LICENSED AND DENTlFlED AIRCRAFT and other sources

10 MARCH 1990

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

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30 MARCH 1990

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SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

15 Monocoupe 0-145 3 Stinson SM-8A Weick W-I 8 Stinson Reliant SR-5 2 Waco UEC Travel Air B-14-B 6 Bellanca E Pacemaker 2 Stinson SM-8B Stinson lr R 5 Monocoupe 110 2 Stinson lr SR Laird LC-B 5 Kinner Playboy R 2 Stearman C-3B Fairchild 24 C8-A 5 Fairchild 24 C8-C 2 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan Beechcraft B-17-L 4 Waco UKC 2 Buhl Airster Beechcraft A-17-FS

All of the aircraft have NS registrations because this series was reserved for federal and state agencies The date following the regi stration is the year of manufacture The entries with an asteri sk are from a source other than the 1936 register

NS-I NS-2 NS-3 NS-4 NS-5 NS-6 NS-7 NS-8 NS-9 NS-IO NS-IO NS-II NS-12 NS-14 NS-15 NS-16 NS-17 NS-18 NS-18 NS-19 NS-20 NS-21 NS-22 NS-23 NS-24 NS-25 NS-27 NS-28 NS-29 NS-30 NS-31 NS-32 NS-33 NS-34 NS-35

Buhl Airster 1927 Stinson lr SR 1933 Buhl Airster 1927 Monocoupe 110 1932 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Stinson lr SR 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Bellanca 300-W Pacemaker 1929 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Laird LC-B 1927 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Stearman C-3B 1928 Stearman C-3B 1928 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Waco UKC 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Kinner Playboy R 1934 Stinson SM-8B 1930 Stinson SM-8B Special 1930 Monocoupe 110 1931 Monocoupe 110 1931 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker 1929 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934

NS-37 NS-38 NS-39 NS-40 NS-41 NS-42 NS-43 NS-44 NS-45 NS-46 NS-47 NS-48 NS-49 NS-50 NS-51 NS-52 NS-53 NS-54 NS-55 NS-56 NS-66 NS-60 NS-61 NS-62 NS-63 NS-64 NS-67 NS-68 NS-IA NS-3Y NS-4Y NS-5Y NS-6Y NS-7Y NS-IOY

Fairchild 24 C8-C 1934 Waco UEC 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Stinson lr R 1932 Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Monocoupe 110 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Fairchild 24 C8-A 1933 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Lambert Monocoupe 0-145 1934 Beechcraft B-17-L 1935 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson SM-8A 1930 Stinson Reliant SR-5E 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1934 Stinson Reliant SR-5A 1935 Weick W-I 1934 Beechcraft A-17-FS 1935 Travel Air B-14-B 1932 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Curtiss-Wright 15-0 Sedan 1931 Bellanca E Pacemaker 1933 Bellanca E Pacemaker Bellanca E Pacemaker Stinson SM-8A 1930

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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30 MARCH 1990

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in Spring of 1990

Select items will

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32 MARCH 1990

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INTERESTING MEMBERS

ELLEN PANEOK (EAA 277350 Ale 11927)

E llen Paneok of Barrow Alaska is one of the most truly remarkable and resourceful people you will ever be forshytunate enough to meet I received the first letter from Ellen in April 1989 She is chief pi lot for Barrow Air but when free time avails itself she flies her Fai rchild F24J Th is ship was deshylivered to Alaska when it was new so it has spent most of its life there Along the way it was converted to a 200-hp Ranger In September 1986 Ellen and the Fairchild went caribou hunting In Ellen s own words this is what hapshypened

I was caribou hunting and had a brake failure on a short very narrow mining strip That ensured substantial damage to all surfaces of my poor

by John Berendt

Fairchild Bent crankshaft and chewed up prop on the Ranger gear leg broshyken completely off lift struts bent and cracked spars busted as well as ailershyons the horizontal stabilizer and elevator along with the tailwheel All of this happened in a very remote area of Alaska which created a logistical nightmare gelfing my poor airplane out I commuted two mechanics in and out for a week to do temporary repair work so I could fly it back out I found by pure luck a Ranger engine and a Curtiss prop All of the fittings were of a different size so they had to do some splicing of oil lines They put the enshy

gine on with a tripod made out of2x4s tack-welded the gear on straightened out one lift strut and replaced the other One aileron was replaced and they glued temporary fabric on the wings and belly (they used a propane torch to tighten the fabric) A 2x4 was nailed on as a temporary spar to one side of the stabilizer and the elevator was straightened out and covered They used a pipe to secure the tailshywheel temporarily All this was done at zero degrees F under a plastic tent Finally the day came and I flew it out on an hour flight to civilization and a hangar That was the longest hour flight I have ever made in my life l The Fairchild is now in much beller shape than when 1 first bought it 1 took that opportunity to re-upholster the interior

The short mining strip is just visible beside the river in the middle of the photo

12 MARCH 1990

and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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and try to restore it to as original as possible

Ellen is glad to share her Alaska flyshying experiences with us The navaids we have here are not available to her so she still navigates by sight or NDBs Thats my kind of flying

Ellen has another rebuilding project in the works a Stinson SRJR or an SR-2 (there were only five manufacshytured) This ship is a combination Stinshyson Senior and Stinson Junior and is about the size of a deHavilland Beaver It came to Alaska in 1940 was owned

by Aho Flying Service and piloted by two bush pilots Torvo The Flying Finn Aho and Archie Ferguson Ellen bought it from another pioneer pilot who owned it Warren Ace Dodson This ship will be restored in Aho Flyshying Service colors black with gold trim and since it was a bush plane with a bare interior Ellen plans to re-upshyholster it Shed also like to have the pioneer instruments as close as possishyble to those in the original panel Ellen plans to fly the Stinson to Oshkosh in 1990 or 1991 one way or another Shed like to complete the Stinson as

soon as possible since shes doing a Duane Cole conversion on a Taylorshycraft Who knows maybe Duane could teach her his routine

One August] 2 1989 Ellen married Chuck Marble the chief pilot for Cape Smythe Air Ellen got to take everyshybody out flying in her Fairchild As Ellen says Imagine two chiefs in one household Im sorry Ellen but I cant resist I have to add all chiefs and no By the way not only did Ellen get her man she also got her caribou bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

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GLENN ROM KEY SHUKRI T ANNUS AND THE

Shukri Tannus was an entrepreneushyrial Lebanese immigrant of the 1920s who bought into aviation with everyshything he had The period between the end of World War [ and Lindbergh s 1927 New York to Pari s fli ght was tough for everyone in the av iation busishyness Dick DePew was the military pilot-turned barnstormer who quipped that the greatest danger in fl ying was starving to death It wasn t onl y pilots who suffered hardship however Many financiers also met their downshyfa ll forging ahead with new untried 14 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING

by Mark Phelps from material submitted by

Jim Haynes Photos courtesy of

Jack Romkey

ideas in av iation Just as a slight misshycalculation could bring di saster down upon a pilot faulty corporate strategy led to the undoing of more than one heavy investor Tannus may have died

of a broken heart when all hi s hopes and dreams finall y unravelled with the Great Depression of 1929

Tannus was orphaned in Ainarab Lebanon at the age of nine and worked for several years in Europe before comshying to the United States in 1897 He sold oriental rugs up and down the Miss iss ippi Va lley to finance an educashytion in the fie ld of pharmace uti ca ls earning a degree fro m North western Uni vers ity in 1904 He worked in the chemi stry department of a medica l school in Keokuk Iowa until failing

eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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eyesight forced him to change careers Demonstrating great resilience of

spirit he recalled the plentiful sedge grass he had observed along the Misshysissippi and formed a broom manufacshyturing business in Canton Missouri He later moved to Lomax Illinois a small town on the shores of the Mississhysippi River in the northwest section of the state In Lomax Tannus business flourished and his entrepreneurial talshyents led to the further acquisition of a print shop a general store and farmshyland holdings that he leased to cucumber growers With hard work and drive the immigrant had taken full advantage of the American dream and become a prominent financial success

Tannus then became infatuated with airplanes and approached pilot Glenn Romkey of Burlington Iowa with his idea of getting into the aviation busishyness Romkey had barnstormed the area in his Curtiss Canuck and was nestling in to roost at his own airport in nearby Burlington The idea of building an original airplane was infecshytive to both men and Romkey drew up a rough sketch Things began to move quickly Tannus hired engineers Chet Cummings and Orville Hickman who smoothed out the edges and drew up the blueprints Tannus incorporated the National Airway System Inc in Febshyruary 1925

As the name of the company imshyplies Tannus had more than manufacshyturing on his mind He envisioned a network of airports throughout the

country similar to the Curtiss concept that would provide aircraft sales and service The hub of the proposed sysshytem was Lomax He also looked into the future of carrying the mail in airplanes To Tannus the only element lacking in the aviation business was enshythusiastic promotion and he felt he was the man to fill that void

Among the initial difficulties faced by NAS was the untrained labor force in the town of Lomax Romkey had a difficult time whipping the former foundry workers into shape to produce so delicate a machine as an airplane To train his workers Romkey bought several surplus Standard J-I s from Nicholas-Beazley Corporation and built them up re-engining some with Hisso powerplants and generating cash flow at the same time

Meanwhile the new biplane was taking shape Romkey hoped to lighten the structure using aluminum instead of steel tubing wherever possible Intishytially the entire empennage was built up from aluminum tubing as well as the fuselage some struts (streamshylined with balsa wood and covered with fabric) and the landing gear strucshyture Gussets and rivets fastened the tubing instead of welding Romkeys bid to lighten the structure enough to create a four-place airplane powered with the lowly 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 enshygine fell short however Conventional steel tube replaced most of the aluminum and the biplane reverted to a three-place configuration Hickmans

experience with the Swallow Aircraft Co was evident in the lines of the new biplane

A casual remark by an anonymous observer led to the name of the biplane He remarked that the new machine was sure to become the King of the air Quickly picking up on the regal associshyation Tannus named the airplane the Air King

From the start the design was modshyified tweaked and adjusted to accomshymodate both the design innovations and the supply and work-force limitashytions of the N AS factory Unusual feashytures of the Air King included ailerons on both upper and lower wings preshysumably a result of Romkeys experishyence with his Canuck The Canuck is a Canadian version of the deHavilland Jenny and has dual ailerons unlike its American cousins with ailerons on the lower wings only The Air King also incorporated push-pull torque tubes instead of cables for aileron conshytrol giving a smooth positive feel to the ailerons as well as more immediate response

Like AI Mooneys Alexander Eagshylerock 107 the Air Kings upper and lower wing panels were identical and interchangable There was no upper centersection so the span of the upper wings was shorter than that of the lower wings giving the airplane an odd upside-down appearance

In February 1927 a few months beshyfore Lindberghs Atlantic flight changed aviation forever Andrew Yashack joined NAS as a shop hand and was instrumental in working out the airplanes subsequent difficulties Claude Flagg was another name that figured prominently in the Air Kings development

Starting in December 1926 governshyment certification became a must for aircraft to be sold on the open market The Department of Commerce inspecshytor sent to evaluate the Air King was less than overwhelmed with the workshymanship and design of the airplane Flagg was retained to bring the design up to government standards repshyresented by the six chapters and 89 secshytions of manufacturers requirements that made up the rules

It wasnt an easy road but producshytion proceeded and the factory the former Lomax Machine Shop and Foundry employed approximately 45 people mostly local residents Some airplane enthusiasts also made their

Shukri Tannus never passed up an opportunity to advertise his wares way to Lomax and exchanged labor for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

flying lessons Tannus was a wheeler-dealer and a

promoter He believed in advertising and publicity running ads in all the national aviation magazines and never missing a chance to promote his prodshyuct He approached selling airplanes with the same energy with which he had sold oriental rugs and brooms

Tannus missed his greatest opportushynity though in August 1928 NAS

was the only bidder at 61 5 percent of profits on the Chicago - Atlanta airmail route Tannus had proposed using 10 Bellanca CF aircraft until NAS could build its own suitable cabin airplane The Bellancas were too costly for the company however and the US Mail rejected his bid to use Swallows and Standards instead The forfeited conshytract went to Interstate Airlines Inc later to evolve into American Airlines

The company faced another setback when it expended time energy and considerable money designing and building a Wright 1-5-powered monoshyplane to participate in the infamous Dole race from Oakland California to Hawaii With the whole country inshyfected by Lindberghs distance-flying success NAS frantically sought its share of the pUblicity The aircraft was welded covered engine and wings

V S Department of Comshymerce Approved Type

Certificate No 29

SPECIFICATIONS

Span Upper wing 31 2 Span LoWtr wing 3-4 I Chord tal nd bottom f Apltct ratio 6 20 It Stag~er I ~ Swlaquop Bck Nonlt Dihltdral ) owltr wing 2Yz d~ Dihltdr1 Uppltr wing Nonlt Wing A 310 Iq It Airfoil tlaquotion Clark Y Hltight Orall 9 It Length Overall 2- fn Weight Empty 13~0 lb bull Wing loding 6S0 pltr q It 5plaquod Maximum 99 mph 5plaquod Cruiing Sf mph Splaquod Minimum 3 f mph U lul lod 7H Ib Fud Capcity H ~1 RadluMaximumlpccd 396 milu GJimb Initial 600 ~r min Ceiling I f 000

National Airways System Lomax Illinois Field 7

AIRKING AIRPLANES

- have such modem improvemnts as streamlined flying load and drift wires shyimproved shock absorber split axle type landmg gear with hydraulic principle comshypression struts - pu~h and pull aileron control rods - steel streamlined struts shyadjustable stabiliter - ventilated cowling - completely wired for navigation lights - streamlined head rest - full width wind shield~ - roomy upholstered cockpits shyinstrument equipped dash - dual control

These are but a few of the many improveshyments but enough to show that we are keeping a promise to deliver finer airplanes (in their class) for the price asked

16 MARCH 1990

hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

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JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

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IN

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For information

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hung and flown in only eight weeks After a few hops around the field at Lomax it headed west for the distanceshytlying competit ion Although there is still controversy on the subject the airshycraft was disqualified for insufficient range - according to some accounts about 300 miles less than the distance from Oakland to Hawaii

The des ign chief on the Dole project was retained and set to work on a new

four-place cabin aircraft to be known as the Monofour Also powered with a Wright J-5 the Monofour was widely promoted and it was actually conshystructed in 45 days between July and August 1928 A high-wing cabin ship s imilar to a Ryan it flew well except for some longitudinal instability The problem was subsequently solved by lengthening the fuse lage by about three feet leading to the resignation of the

design chief An unusual feature of the Monofour was its inverted control stick that hung from the ceiling Although that took some getting used to the airplane was an aeronaut ical success and Romkey urged Tannus to get it cershytified and into production There seemed to be some corporate indecishysion however and Tannus powwowed with his company principles and stockshyholders in the summer of 1928 to de-

Zoollling Into

Popularity EVER since its first announcement there has been a veritable zoom of popularity to the Air-King

Commercial Fields Aviation Schools and Sportsmen first enthusiastically inquired about and then eagerly bought this fine plane of its class

And in all the letters of inquiry and in all our personal contact the most notable tribute to the Air-King is the ract that its price is generally placed in the

prospective buyer s mind as being much higher than it really is

Owners wonder how we can give so much for so little It is true no one can give more Our location buying ability and manufacturing facilities are unexshycelled for economical production

That is why we can give you-for only $2100-features found only on the highshyest priced airplanes

1927 Air-King Improvement Sturdy Ihock absorbing split llnding gear (See illustration)

Inspection windows in both lower winamp permiLs inipeclion of aileron control wires and pulleya without removing fa bric

Arodynamically improved winle tip and rudder tor greater Iitt and maneu shyverabil ity

Clearer vision for pilot and passengers Cowling over entire motor keeps out rain and moisture

Instrument equipped da sh These added fea tu res to HAir-Kings original efficient baaic design make it worthy of its first place in the field in its class

NATIONAL AIRWAYS SYSTEM LOMAX ILL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

PRICE $2100 AT

LOMAX FIELD

AGENTS GET OUR

PROPOSITION

----

Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

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AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

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JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

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Shukri Tannus with a group of businessmen and NAS personnel in front of the Monofour Tannus is third from the left with hat in right hand Glen Romkey is kneeling center

termine the company s next course of ing was that the Air King after about sibilities (limited primarily by its OX-S action 70 examples were built had reached eng ine) An inex pensive two-place

One conclusion reached at the meet- the zenith of its deve lopmental pos- trainer should be deve loped Glenn

Jack Romkey sitting in his replica Air King project 18 MARCH 1990

AIR-KING MONO FOUR

Just what flyers and business men have been waiting for A cabin monoplane of supershyor performance and exceedingly beautiful In appearance The Monofour is without doubt the greatshyest performing new production job on the market Trim and neat-finished like the most luxurious automobile-the Monofour is writing a new page in Aviation History

a CABIN MONOPLANE for Pilot and Three Passengers

Not crowdltd or cram~d but comshyfortable and with ample space room (for arms and legs) YoulIlike the AirKing Monofour-it marks a forshyward step in cabin jobs

Orders are now being booked for future delivery Write for prices and description

National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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National Airways System FIELD 9 LOMAX ILLINOIS

Romkey and Claude Flagg drew up the preliminary plans for the Air Prince to be built with a 90-hp LeBlond radial engine The airplane was expected to sell for $3250 at a company profit of $675 per unit

The first parts of the Air Prince were welded up in Lomax but the company was in the middle of a major move to new facilities in Peoria Illinois at Mt Hawley New offices were established in the Peoria Life Building downtown and a new factory was under construcshytion at the Mt Hawley site The Monofour project was relegated to the back burner and the prototype was used extensively in the 77-mile move from Lomax to Peoria shuttling office people back and forth as the operation shifted from the far-west to the middle of the state The one and only Air

Prince was assembled at Mt Hawley It was 1929 and the stock market crash would soon complete the demise of the already struggling company

Surviving Air Kings were used up as the years went by Some were modshyified after accidents Others just disapshypeared The fate of the Monofour is unknown and the on ly Air Prince built crashed and burned in Texas in the late 1930s

Of the people involved Glenn Romshykey returned to his airport in 8urshylington where he completed a successshyful career as a pilot and businessman Claude Flagg designed several airplanes and wound up at Convair and General Dynamics in positions of aushythority Andy Yashack became a local blacksmith and repairer of farm machinery

Romkey s son Jack currently farms in Burlington Iowa and is building a replica of the Air King He sti ll has the original fuselage of the Dole race plane and its wings (this original fuselage was replaced wi th a wider one before the airplane was finished) He has a complete tail section from an Air King and assorted other parts Work on the replica is going slowly but he promshyises Til get it done

Shukri Tannus was finacially ruined by the failure of NAS In the wake of the Depression he returned to selling oriental rugs the business that put him through school so many years before With hi s faithful assistant from the NAS days Tommy Welch as driver he was back on the road Two years later Tannus died of a heart attack in South Dakotabull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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METAL AIRCRAFT

by W D Dip Davis (EAA 55767 AIC 1804)

Cooper Aviation Supply Co

20 MARCH 1990

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

The nozzle of the spray gun should be held between six and ten inches from the surface being sprayed

Unless you have just finished fabshyricating an airplane of pri stine new aluminum sheets your painting project will probably begin with the removal of somebody s o ld finish It is se ldom possible to achi eve really sati sfactory results with just sanding and painting over a previously applied paint of any kind Remember your airplane is a good deal more fl ex ible than your car and the thicker the paint film the more brittle it will become Not to mention the need less weight that will be added Cessna ca lcul ated a 17-pound additio n to the empty weight for a factory applied paint job on a 172

Select a paint stripper carefully Be sure that the product does not contain any ingredients that might induce hyshydrogen imbrittlement into the metal The product we recommend and the only one we now stock is Kleen Strip Aircraft Remover which meets U S Air Force spec ification MIL-Rshy24134A Careful preparation is reshyquired before beg inning the paint reshymova l operation Plastics of any varishyety must not be ex posed to the stripper Fiberglas cowlings wheel fairings etc shou Id be removed from the airplane and the old fini sh removed

from them by sanding Even if your cowling is all metal remove it so that the eng ine engine mo unt and all accesshysories can be wrapped in plastic like a cocoon for total protection from the enshysuing chemica l showers

Plastic fairings that are riveted on such as some dorsal fins and many conshytrol surface tips must be carefully masked off with foil or plastic tape that will be impervious to the stripper

If your airplane is assembled reshymove all removable fairings and prefshyerabl y a ll the control surfaces Fowler type tlaps on the later mode l Cessnas need not be removed Just ex tend them to the full-down position which will allow adequate access to the leading edges and to the tlap wells It will also present a good opportunity to obtain diamond shaped wounds on your head and upper body so watch your step Windshields and windows require scrupulous care Foil tape or a heavy ce llophane backed packaging tape should be applied to extend sli ghtl y past the edge of the Plex iglas o ut onto the metal surface This 18 or so of paint can be carefully hand sanded after the stripping operation is comshypleted Even the vapors from the stripshy

per will create problems with later evishydence of crazing or clouding if the winshydows are not totall y protected

Don t neg lect personal protection e ither Stripper dripping from the unshyderside of a wing can drip down your collar and beg in removing your hide before you can get to the faucet Coveralls buttoned tightly at the neck and sleeves along with rubber gloves a head cover and safety goggles are the uniform of the day Stripper is norshymally applied with a brush however dont brush it out as though you were painting Just tlow it on evenly and leave it undisturbed for thirty minutes or more Brushing or stirring at this time merely breaks the waxy film and allows the active ingredients to evaposhyrate rapidly before they can attack the paint An efficient method of retaining the vapors consists of covering an enshytire area with a plastic drop cloth shythe 39-cent variety not a deluxe model as you will use it only once After an appropriate length of time depending on the te mperature the plastic cover is removed taking a surprising amount of paint and sludge with it At thi s time the remaining paint should be scrubbed with a stiff fibre brush or coarse

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

Scotchbrite pad to loosen the stubborn stuff just before rinsing If a power washer is available lots of elbow grease can be spared

Once rinsing is begun don t apply any more paint remover until the airplane has thoroughly dried as any water on the surface totally defeats the stripping action You will almost inshyvariably have to go back over some stubborn areas Usuall y ri vet heads and skin seams will hang onto their paint and require additional se lecti ve sc rubshybing

When the last vestiges of paint have been removed and you are sure you have rinsed all the stripper residue from nooks and crannies the metal should be etched with a phosphori c acid preparation The product we supshyply fo r this purpose is Amchems Alumiprep Number 33 [t is mixed with approx imately two parts of water to one part No 33 and sponged onto the surface Work an area no larger than that which can be kept wet for five or six minutes scrubbed lightly with a medium to fi ne Scotchbrite pad and thoroughly rinsed Keep the hose or pressure washer running until all apshypearance of sudsing is gone This treatshy

ment not only removes any remaining film of paint stripper but all ox idation from the surface and after the rinse dries the airplane may be so shiny that you might consider foregoing the new paint job in favor of leaving the bare metal Hey forget it People with shiny bare aluminum airplanes have two choices either don t fl y or poli sh after every fli ght

The next step is often omitted but it is quite inexpensive not very time conshysuming and offers the ultimate in corshyros ion protection The chromic ac id conversion coating applied by spongshying on Alodine 120 I doesn t require any scrubbing action Merely apply allow to set for fi ve or six minutes and rinse with low-pressure water before the Alodine has had a chance to dry on the surface This will leave a transparshyent gold tone to the surface that is chemically inert and precludes any electrolytic action which is the way under-the-paint corros ion starts Thi s film is rather delicate and should be coated with primer as soon as practi ca l

We re assuming that all the masking was removed from the windows and other plastic parts before the etch and rinse cycle began Now the windows

can be carefully masked off aga in thi s time just to the edge of the glass leavshying all the metal exposed Don t use newspaper for masking on any portion of your paint job Not onl y is the paper flimsy but the print will come off onto your beautiful fini sh Also the printing press leaves rows of tiny holes near the edge of the paper Paint will invari ably find them and leave dots where you don t want them If you are unable to get commercial masking paper a roll of heavy-duty wrapping paper will sufshyfi ce

Since you have etched and Alodined the surface an etching wash pri mer material is not ca lled for We strongly recommend a two part strontium chroshymate epoxy The one we offer is top quality and relati ve ly easy to apply It s prepared by mixing equal parts of SF- IO primer and SF-320 catalyst This is stirred allowed to set for a 30shyminute induction period st irred again and sprayed just like a finish coat No thinning is required The surface will be dry to handle in an hour but the mixed material has a pot life of 72 hours or so [ I you mixed more than you can use today keeping it in a reshyfrigerator will ex tend the li fe and you

RIGHT WRONG

The paint spray gun must be moved parallel to the surface If the gun is moved in an arc the spray pattern will be thick in some spots and thin in others

22 MARCH 1990

B INSUFFICIENT ATOMIZING C EXCESSIVE ATOMIZING A NORMAL SPRAY PATTERN AIR PRESSURE AIR PRESSURE

o MATERIAL BUILO-UP AROUNO ONE SIDE OF THE FLUIO NOULE E ONE WING PORT HOLE PLUGGED UP

can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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can use it so long as it hasnt begun to thicken up Clean your paint gun and equipment with regular lacquer thinshyner The primer can be sanded easily if required and makes an excellent surshyfacer for all plastic parts If the fibers of your Fiberglas cowling are showing apply a couple more coats of SF-lOl 320 and sand as required to obtain a smooth finish

Finish coat application can begin in as little as an hour after applying the primer but if its necessary for the job to sit more than three days before paint is applied you should lightly scuff the entire surface with a fine Scotchbrite pad and blow the dust off before beginshyning

Now about that finish coat Since you have devoted all that time and effort into proper preparation youre not going to apply a 1940s technology finish are you Ultimate results can be obtained with a polyurethane enamel There are many hybrid products available including some of the most highly touted finishes

but the most durable and attractive wet look will result from an aliphatic polyester urethane topcoat - a one to one mix of color and catalyst The only drawback except for the few extra bucks that it costs is the toxicity If you are working in a two car garage with no way to rig an exhaust fan you

Paint spray pattern defects

probably shouldnt use a polyurethane If you have asthma or other respiratory problems you definitely should not use it In any case take all the proper preshycautions to provide ventilation and a fresh air source for breathing purposes Youll find the application no more difshyficult than an alkyd enamel and much the same spray techniques are use Thin the mixed color with a reducer appropriate to the shop temperature to a viscosity of approximately 19 secshyonds through a number two Zahn cup (Doesnt that sound high tech - You can buy one for a couple of bucks at Sears) and apply two full wet coats with about 50 pounds air pressure at the gun Masking for trim colors can begin in four or five hours at normal temperatures

The airplane should be reassembled before applying trim colors as most stripe lines will be continued onto the cowling and perhaps onto the rudder Primary controls should be checked for static balance in accordance with the airframe manufacturers recommendashytions before reinstalling and you may wish to use new shiny hardware to fasshyten everything in place If you prefer painted screw heads they may be punched into a scrap piece of correshygated paper box painted in clusters and allowed to dry thoroughly before using

Regular good quality masking tape that works well with dopes and lacshyquers is not good enough to give clean lines with polyurethane finishes Use Fineline tape which is a green plasshytic-surfaced material with no crepe apshypearance It will conform to a curve by stretching and is no more difficult to shape to elaborate designs than is the paper stuff One word of caution shywhen crossing tape lines to make such shapes its not adequate to rub the inshytersection down with a thumbnail as you would do with paper tape Careshyfully cut the top tape where it crosses the lower one and stick a small piece of tape over the crack

All masking should be carefully reshymoved as soon as the painting is comshypleted If unwanted spots or lines have escaped your masking clean engine oil on a soft cloth will remove them withshyout harming the base color Imperfecshytions or other boo-boos can be sanded and spotted in for a day or two after application Once the paint has cured completely spot repairs cannot be blended into the finish it will be necesshysary to paint the entire panel to a line or skin seam

With normal care your airplane should look great for up to twice as long as the original factory finish lastedbull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

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by H Glenn Buffington

24 MARCH 1990

0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

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SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

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0

~ S 5--_________J u

FIRST WOMEN~S AIR DERBY 60TH ANNIVERSARY

SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND

Winning Pilot Louise Thoden 1929 Re-creation Suson Dusenbury 1989 Plone Flown Trovel Air 04000

-August 18 1989-FLIGHT PLAN-August 26 1989shy

Any event can become history in the In the original race 20 pilots started making and the First Womens Air from Santa Monica California and 15 Derby of 1929 was such an event Last buzzed the Cleveland Ohio finish line summer 60 years later to the day the nine days later August 26 1929 shywinning airplane a Travel Air 4000 flew remarkable results considering aircraft the same route again The celebration and engi ne reliab ility in those earlier commemorated a benchmark in aviation days Alphabetically the en tries were

In 1929 women flew in national Florence (Pancho) Barnes Marvel competition or the first time and sigshy Crosson Amelia Earhart Ruth Elder nificantly helped to influence others to Claire Fahy Mary Haizlip Opal fly Perhaps some of the World War II Kun z Jessie Maude Miller Ruth W ASP were attracted to aviation by Nichols Blanche Noyes Gladys reading about or witnessing this event ODonnell Phoebe Omlie Neva - fledglings ready to fly Paris Margaret Perry Thea Rasche

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

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Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

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WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

Edith Foltz Steams Louise Thaden Bobbi Trout Mary von Mach and Vera Dawn Walker

Louise Thaden won the big event flying the 2759-mile course in 20 hours 19 minutes 2 seconds averagshying 135 97 mph She was followed by Gladys ODonnell and Amelia Earhart in the heavy-plane class It was Phoebe Omlie Edith Foltz Steams and Jessie Maude Miller in the light plane divi shysion (Steams flew for the ATA in Enshygland during World War II)

The Thaden winning plane - a blue and gold J-5 Travel Air 04000 NC671 H - was lost for years Dub Yarbrough of Grand Rapids Michigan finally located and rebuilt it Dub is a Trustee of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Inc an offshoot of the Beechcraft Staggerwing group He was a close friend of Louise Thaden and promised her 12 years ago two years before her death that he would find and rebuild the winning 1929 Travel Air After a six-year search the plane was located and plans were formulated for the rebuilding work He was ably assisted by Bobby Graves Gene Hood Richard Blazier Harman Dickshyerson Jim Younkin and Steve Pfister among others

Susan Dusenbury 40 of Greensboro North Carolina flew NC671 H on the 60th annivarsary flight She is an EAA enthusiast owns a Culver Cadet and currently is a DC-9

pilot for Airborne Express She learned to fly 25 years ago flew for the comshymuter airlines Air CarolinaAir Virshyginia and was one of Charles Robbs several personal pilots when he was governor of Virginia Susan has logged

over 10000 hours of flight time Yarbrough s choice of Dusenbury to

make the flight was simple Shes got the same spit polish and drive - and twinkle in her eye - as Louise did And her middle name is Louise

[n celebration of the 60th annivershysary of this historic race an efficient committee was formed to relive the past The [nitial Tour Committee conshysisted of W C Dub Yarbrough Program Manager and Coordinator former EAL Captain Bill Thaden Flight Coordinator W Brad Thomas Jr In-flight Program Manager Susan Louise Dusenbury Tour Pilot and Evelyn Brooks LiaisonCommunicashytions who helped greatly in holding the whole operation together Evelyn said The tour could not have been accomplished without the support at the 18 stops from The Ninety-Nines along with the assistance of airport and civic officials members of the EAA Beechcraft Staggerwing Museum Foundation and Airborne Express

Mary Haizlip and Bobbi Trout the two survivors of the original group of the 1929 pilots joined the send-off group August 18 1989 on the ramp outside the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica California Through their tenacity both were among the 1929 finishers at Cleveland

Dusenbury was satisfied with her flight time for the 1989 routing - 24 hours flat Susan said [ was not strivshying to break Louises record because I felt the 1929 record should stand hers to keep Also because of the high-density traffic today the FAA has set up terminal control areas you have to fly around - Louise didnt have

Susan taxis the Travel Air past the An 124 at EM Oshkosh 89

26 MARCH 1990

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

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TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

those restricted air spaces She flew from Santa Monica to San Bernardino in 27 minutes and it took me an hour and five minutes Further quotes from Susan I thought it would be a wonshyderful way to honor Loui se Thaden and all women in av iation Those earl y gals paved the way for me to have the job I have today I love fl ying and I owe it to women like Louise

The Travel Airs panel

Numerous aircraft flew in escort on various legs during the reenactment of the 1929 Derby W Brad Thomas Jr Southeast Regional Vice-President of the Staggerwing Musem and Gene Chase Advisor to EAA Antique Classic Division flew the entire routshying They piloted Thomas Mooney 20C N658 I U and aided in clearances and communications for Susan in the

Travel Air All the other accompanyshying planes were Beechcraft Staggershywings except Reb Stimson and Bill Hill who flew their open-cockpit Wacos on the Abilene-Fort Worth leg

Beechcraft facilities figured promishynently in the receptions at the enroute stops Gene Chase reported The weather delays were disappointing for us and those who had to cancel planned festivities But all in all the tour was great and we met many wonderful people

A number of the 60th Tour personshynel joined others at Tullahoma Tenshynessee for the 1989 Staggerwing Travel AirTwin Beech International Convention October 11-16 On the 14th the 0 A Beech Staggerwing un-covered to illustrate the aircraft s inner intricacies was dedicated as another welcome addition to the Staggerwing Museum

In a fitting tribute Loui se McPhetshyridge Thaden was posthumously inshyducted into the Virginia Aeronautical Society Hall of Fame November II 1989 - the day before her 84th birthshydate The Society s Virginia Air Museum based at Richmond Internashytional Airport displays her Travel Air

Monica August 17 1989 NC67 I H over the winter months VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

I to r - Mrs Cliff Henderson Mary Haizlip Bobbi Trout and Susan Dusenbury at Santa

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

~ASS IT TO--1] An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck Hilbert (EM 21 Ale 5) PO Box 424 Union Il 60180

Proper Behavior

During the summer of 1940 when I was a lineboy at the old Elmhurst Airshyport west of Chicago we were running in a newly overhauled engine In those days there was a regular schedule for break-in after the overhaul was comshypleted We ran them up at half-hour intervals at increasing rpm until fishynally after about four hours we brought them up to take-off power Only then was it allowed to fly Quite a difference as compared with today Nowadays you just put the power to it and fly at full throttle for the first 28 MARCH 1990

hour Anyway there sits this Cub with the

stick tied back and the engine running at about 1000 rpm unattended doing its own break-in I hasten to add that this airplane did not belong to us Harshybicon Airways would never do a thing like that (Now Ill tell you about a certain bridge you can buy)

Well this fellow is posing his girlfriend alongside our Porterfield PLshy50 He has her standing by the door liquidly draped around the wing strut and hes trying to get her into the frame

of that little camera Some of you reshymember those box cameras with the neat viewfinder on the top The trick was to put the subject squarely in the frame It required stooping over and shading the viewfinder with one hand whi le you backed up for the focal length You guessed it With all of us shoutin and hollerin he got a rapid I OOO-rpm spanking He never got the picture but Ill never forget that moshyment We all had a good laugh about it later but Spanky never lived it down For years afterward he would drop his pants to show people the result

euro of his encounter It didnt read Senshy~ senich or Flottorp either ~ I propped many airplanes as the ~ years went by and made a study of

propping Some engines were easy some were downright recalcitrant The easiest of the lot are the Kinners and R-985s such as on a BT -13 The Kinshyner will start every time with those Bendix mags throwin a spark an inch and a half You dont really prop the Kinner you just gingerly pull it past compression and get the heck out of the way Ive had them back up on me and catch from the wrong way when theyre too lean but theyll go on the next pull Again it takes extreme care to be absolutely sure it isn t hot

We were standing in the hangar one day working on a Ryan STA and a good friend of mine was supervising (like any good sidewalk superintenshydent) He was leaning up against the prop of my PT-22 but it wasnt quite comfortable enough for him so he went to re-position the prop He turned it about 30 degrees the impulse snapped and there was Carl stretched to his full height his back against the STAs tail with my PT-22s 90-inch prop whiskshying hi s fly Fortunately it only hit about four cylinders and then quit Wow I was up in that cockpit and

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

checking before Carl could even let out the breath he had been holding to make himse lf that sk inny The switch was on both but luckily the mixture was at idle cut-off and the fuel was off It turned out the airport owners kids had been playing in the cockpit and fooling around with the switches The kid I think was responsible is now an aeroshybatic show pilot He still likes to fool around

A year or so after this one I was all alone out front of the hangar at the same airport and I was go ing to take my two youngest kids for a ride in our Champ Id just gassed up and added a quart of oil (my Number One son always seemed to leave the airplane empty and down a quart) and was ready to aviate There wasnt anyone else within close range so I elected to prop it myself I had the two kids side-by-side on cushions in the back seat under the one belt I put my right foot in front of the right tire and propped it seaplane style from behind I was beshytween the prop and the door Just as I snapped it through I heard my daughter say Ill help you daddy and she shoved the throttle forward It caught of course and there I was in a helluva predicament My right foot is the chock the door wont let me get to the throttle or the switch and the engine is turnin about 1700 rpm I m dancing around in a circle trying desperately not to lose it If I pull my foot out from in front of the wheel it ll go for sure I cant get around the door and under the strut I cant grab and stop the prop at 1700 rpm without chopping my arm off and Im literally helpless About the second I m ready to give up and let it happen the front door of the office bursts open and one of the guys comes runshyning out to cut the switch I would have kissed him if I had the strength but all I could do was sit down and mumble

my thanks - over and over again Shortly after thi s one I was at the

old Chicagoland Airport one day when a friend of mine who owned a T-6 had an experience He was parked between two rows of airplanes and decided to prop the Six The battery had died long ago and like most o f us in the 1960s he couldnt afford to buy a new one He had been propping the plane for years so it should have been no problem This time though through a mismanaged mess-up it started and went to 1600 to 1700 rpm like right

NOW Normally an R-985 or 1340 will fire mutter spang and gradually acshycelerate to idle so slowly you can leishysurely walk around the wing crawl up to the cockpit and still have time for a coke and a sandwich before it finally clears its throat Not thi s time It tore down the line and went through two airplanes before it wrapped itself up in one of those cast-iron Navions Paul himse lf had quite a problem there You can imagine how much insurance he had since he couldn t even afford to buy a battery It took him several years to payoff the damages to the other

airplanes and he trucked his T-6 home where it sat until he died

Same airport same scene - almost the same tiedown The STA had been flying for about four years Our trusty Red Baloney is going to take his niece up for a ride There was no one around so he put her in the front seat set up the engine controls told her to hold the brakes and started pulling through the prop About four blades and away it went It spurted right up to about I 700 rpm He dropped to the ground as the airplane rumbled over him and

he grabbed one of the flying wires under the wing as it went by With him hanging on for dear life the Ryan did two 360s between the parked planes He was hollerin for his niece to tum it OFF but she misunshyderstood and further complicated matters by jumping out and getting knocked down by the tail as it swung by About this time the engine quit because he did something right He had turned off the fuel as Id taught him to do when he propped it himself Niece was bruised but the airplane and everyone else was okay - so what caused the problem He looked under the cowl and there was the fractured end of the throttle push-pull rod It broke from corrosion and wear

right at the firewall Lesson You betcha Next time we tie the tail

We are learning One day I propped Bob Heuers Pitts when I saw him all alone Then he asked me to untie the tail A couple of months later I noticed that Bob Davis another aerobatic pilot had a tow hitch on his Pitts-Smith What s he doing with a tow hitch Simple He sez I can prop it myself and then after I get in and all suited up and ready to go I just pull the release and Im free Lesson there are some real practical people in the world Over to you bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

Where The Sellers and Bu ers Meet

25cent per word $500 minimum charge Send your ad to The Vintage Trader fAA Aviation Center

Oshkosh WI 54903-2591

AIRCRAFT (2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934 Package includes extra engine and spares Fuselage wing spars and extra props Museum quality $30000 firm No tire kickers collect calls or pen pals please EE Buck Hilbert PO Box 424 Union IL 60180-0424

PLANS POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings Plans plus 139 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $500 Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 The Technique of Aircraft Building - $1200 plus $250 postage Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 414529-2609

ENGINES

MISCELLANEOUS Super Cub PAl8 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision master fixshytures All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new J E Soares Inc 7093 Dry Creek Road Belgrade Montana 59714 406388shy6069 Repair Station 065-21 (cl4-90)

Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts - 24-year collection with continushyous additions and still buying for all types of aircraft Tell me what you need Air Salvage of Arkansas Rt 1 Box 8020 Mena Arkansas 71953 phone 501 394-1022 anytime (c-390)

JN4-D Memorabilia - Jenny Mail collector cachets actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh along with T-shirts pins posters etc Send SASE for catalog pricing Virginia Aviation Co RD 5 Box 294 Warrenton VA 22186 (c-590)

Let the government finance your small business Grantsloans to $500000 Free recorded message 707449-8600 (HP7) (2-2)

NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one volume Covering ali EAA journals 1953 through 1989 Newly organized easier to read MUCH REshyDUCED PRICE Past purchasers $750 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other New purchasers $15 USD plus $1 50 UPSpostage $300 Canadian $700 other VISAMASTERCARD accepted John B Bergeshyson 6438 W Millbrook Road Remus MI 49340 517561-2393 Note Have all journals Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25q per page ($300 minimum)

AIRPLANE HANGARS - Save up to 50 on Arch Style Steel Buildings Factory Clearance on 50x40 60x60 50x50 and others EX 50x40 arches only $3620 Universal Steel 1-800-548-6871 (3-1)

WANTED WANTED Right streamlined gear leg tapered axle shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief Minor axis 78 inch major 2 inch Also complete set of rudder brake pedals for Fleet 16B Smith 204 Lockport Plainfield ill inois 60544-1940

30 MARCH 1990

AN INVITATION

TO PARTICIPATE WITH

THE SANTA MONICA

MUSEUM OF FLYING

IN

THE WORLDS LARGEST

AUCTION

OF CLASSIC AIRCRAFT

amp MEMORABILIA

We are currently accepting

applications for entries to be

sold at this unprecedented event

in Spring of 1990

Select items will

be featured in a

four-color auction catalogue

and receive international

media exposure

For information

call John Hanley

at 1-800-AIR-1004

or 213-392-6392

in California

8AM to 5PM PST

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North

Santa Monica California 90405

Facsimile No 213-452-1933

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

ONE OF AMERICAS MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED AIRPLANES

Heres the video youvebeeo waiting for

Precious memories and the rebirth ofAmericas legendary leading lady the Curtiss Jenny This high quality video contains 30 minutes ofaviation magic including rare footage from the Jennys earliest days as a military trainer to its later role as the airplane of choice for Americas barnshystormers Youll also see amazing footage ofwing walkers and plane to plane transfers In addition youllwitness Ken Hydes 16year award-Winning Jenny restoration and the unprecedented gathershying ofsixJennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convenshytion You may never see these priceless treasures together again as they take to the air Hear their pilots talk about the Jennys unique handling characteristics and their thoughts 00 flying an airplane from the pages of aviation history Get your copy today

$2495 bull add $3 postage and handling

(WI residents add 5 sales tax)

MAJOR CALL TOLL-FREE CREDIT CARDS 1-800-84~-~612ACCEPTED

In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800 Outside USA call 414-426-4800

$ enclosed for __ videotapes of Its Gotta Be aJenny (Send money order or include credit card number)

I am interested in additional information NAME __________________________________________ on the items checked below

o EAA Air Adventure Video Club ADDRESS ______________________________________

o Free video catalog CITY ____________________ STATE _______________o Experimental Aircraft Association

membership ZIP __________ EAA VIDEO NO ___________________o EAA Oshkosh Convention

o EAA Aviation Foundation SIGNATURE ____________________________________

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh WI 54903-3065

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

rbull STITS POLY-FIBER bull bull THE MOST POPULAR bullI AIRCRAFT COVERING MATERIALS I I IN AVIATION HISTORY I

974 pages of practical proven I HERES WHY Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft 111construction techniques ~ FAA-STC for Over 660 Aircraft Models Over 23 Years Service Ifor homebuilders bull History Superior Quality Coatings Developed and Manufactured I

BY TONYBINGELIS bull Under the Quality Control of an FAA-PMA especially for Polyester I f-------------- I Fabric on Aircraft Not Brittle Automotive Finishes Modified Short Life I

EXCELLENT REF ERENCE SOURCE shy

MAKE GR EAT GIFTS FOR THE NOVICE OR EXPERIENCEDBUILDER _ DONT BUILD

WITHOUT THEMInformation every builder needs with all the right answers at ones fingermiddot tips Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION these publications are profuse ly illustrated with photos cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most comp lishycated problem Invaluable material for anyonedesigning bui lding restoring or maintaining sport airc raft Order you r cop ies tod ay

~rRo~~~r~~i~l~~~~ ~~~H~s S~~~~~L IEngine Installation Methods - 304 pagesl order all three for iust

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~I~~2095 $5297 IA Builders Handbook - 350 pagesl Add S6 95 postage and handling Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5 sales tax 5 sales tax Add S240 postage and handling for each publica tion ordered

Order immediately by calling EAAs To ll Free Number 1-800-843-3612

Major credit cards accepted

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

~--------------------------------~

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qirt~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

32 MARCH 1990

111 Water Borne House Paint or Tinted and Relabeled Cellulose Dope II Will Not Support Combustion Lightest Covering Approved ~I Under FAA-STC and PMA Most Economical Covering Materials IiII1 IIiII1 Considering Years of Trouble Free Service Easy Repairability ~

I ~VI~D~E~OTg~APE=A-V~A~IL~A~B~L-E- I ~ ~

FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STiTS Sponsored by EAA IiII1I IAviation Foundation Before Making Expensive Mistakes See This IiII1 Tape and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME VHS II or Beta $4995 Also Direct from EAA (1-800-843-3612) and from ~I Stlts Distributors PAL PAL-M PAL-N amp SECAM also Available II I ~ Especially for Aircraft Covering Poly-Fiber Manual with II ~~t~r~~~~~u~~~~~I~oa~~s~~~~~anddP~tt~~t~I~~~ I ~ IiII1 1iII1 I ~ ~ IiII1 STITS POLY FIBER I I AIRCRAFT COATINGS I ~ IiII1 bull PO Box 3084-V Riverside CA 92519 II IPhone (714) 684-4280

IIIIIIII~

po box 88 madison north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

AWWA MEMBER

MEMBER

TNI( PINTlNb ND REPAIRING

SNOIlASTING TANK LI NERS AND COl liNGS PREVENTIYE TANK AINHNANCE INSPlCTiON SE RV ICE l oDU SMHY EOUIPENT RESERVOIR liNUS AND ROOfS

DISMANTLING AND OVING TANKS

NEW USED AND CONDITIONEO TANKS

YOUVE GOT TOO MUCH I STED TO JUST WALK AWAY

Building an airplane from plans or a kit is no piece of cake It takes a commitment of hundreds of hours of your time plus a substantial dollar investment in component parts

AVEMCOs construction reconstruction it doesnt provide any coverage at all for coverage can help you protect the money your project youve invested in your project while youre If youre flying a homebuilt or have a working on it This unique coverage insures project under construction call AVEMCO the kit including its component parts for a today for more information about this and value based on your receipts In the event of other coverage for homebuilders from a total or partial loss youll be insured for the AVEMCO the official insurance company of value of the component parts minus any your sport aviation association applicable deductible

Check your homeowners r-----------------------~Ipolicy Youll probably find CALL DIRECT TODAY FOR AN IMMEDIATEI

QUOTE FROM A FELLOW EAA MEMBERI I 1-800-638-8440I I I I

In Canada Call I CAviMCOI I THE SPOIlT IWWION ASSOCIATION1-800-263-1631 INSURANCE COMPANY IThis is intended as a brief description of the Aviation Insurance For Aviation People

coverage offered Certain exclusions and I limi tations apply We will be glad to send you a sample policy for your review ~-----------------------~

by George Hardie Jr

Heres another contender in the 1930s airplane market that didnt make it The photo was taken in Wichita Kansas and was submitted by George Goodhead of Tulsa Oklahoma Anshyswers will be published in the June 1990 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE Deadline for that issue is April 10 1990

The December 1989 Mystery Plane

drew two interesting answers Lloyd S Gates of Norway Maine writes

The December Mystery Plane is the one and only Dayton-Wright Messhysenger It is reported to have been deshysigned by O W Thomas who was working at Dayton-Wright at the time and the airplane was used as a test bed for the engine to be used in the Kettershying Bug an early pilotless bomb

Dayton-Wright Messenger 34 MARCH 1990

The airplane was powered by a four-cylinder two-cycle air-cooled Vee engine of 40 hp designed by CH Wills or Harold Morehouse (take your pick) The engine is usually referred to as a dePalma but it was also known as a WB B The significance of these inshyitials is unknown

The photo was probably taken at South Field Dayton Ohio in August 1918 I expect that you may receive several responses to this one as the photo appeared several times in varishyous publication and is confused with the Sperry Messenger which is an enshytirely different aircraft

Nathan Rounds of Zebulon Georgia adds this

It is the Dayton-Wright Messenger of the 1919 era as the Armistice of World War I caused some aircraft comshypanies to turn their attention to small single-seat sport planes

The Messenger was powered by a two-cycle four-cylinder Vee type enshygine a dePalma weighing 37 pounds per hp and had a fuel consumption of four gallons per hour The airplane reshysembled the deHavilland types in landshy

ing gear wing attachment to center Speed was given as 37 to 85 mph would make a good homebuilt section groundloop skids etc Single The engine developed 37 hp at 2 000 sportplane today cables were used for the flying and rpm Empty weight was 476 pounds Other answers were received form landing wires They were streamlined with 12 gallons of gasoline Length Frank M Pavliga Cuyahoga Falls with rubber fairings The fuselage was was 17 feet six inches span 19 feet Ohio John C Nordt III South Miami constructed of longerons veneer sides three inches height six feet one inch Florida and Charley Hayes Park Forshyand wood strips instead of wires maximum gross weight 636 pounds It est Illinois bull

CORRECTION

THE CAIN SPORT by Robert Pauley

Bob Pauley of Farmington Hills Michigan called our attention to a typographical error in the answer pubshylished in the October 1989 issue His story adds some further details on the CAIN (not Cairn) Sport - George Hardie Jr

The Cain Aircraft Corporation was formed in January 1931 by Harry Cain who had previously worked at Stinson Aircraft and later for Verville Aircraft That January he opened a small shop at 10527 Gratiot Avenue about a half mile from the Detroit City Airport There with the help of some local airshycraft mechanics he built the Cain Sport a two-place side-by-side parasol-wing trainer Cain had done most of the design work in his spare time while working at his previous jobs His goal was to have the airplane

on display at the upcoming National Aircraft show That show was schedshyuled for April I I through April 19 193 I at the nearby Detroit City Airshyport This gave Cain slightly over three months to complete the airplane

As could be expected the airplane was not finished in time for the openshying of the show on Saturday April II By working day and night that week Cain and his crew completed the airplane the following Friday at 300 am and it was placed on display durshying the last two days of the show Unshyfortunately because of the late arrival the new airplane was not shown in the main hangar display area but was releshygated to an adjacent tent erected for late arrivals As a result the new Cain design received a minimum of publishycity and more importantly no orders Undaunted although somewhat disapshypointed Cain test flew the prototype

the following week at the Detroit City Airport

Cain planned to offer the airplane in two versions one with a slow wing for training that gave a maximum speed of 100 mph and a speed wing with a 135-mph top speed Furthershymore a cabin version of the Cain was planned as a future development

Two Cain airplanes were built The prototype that was shown at the Nashytional Aircraft Show carried the CAB registration number I I 191 as a regisshytered aircraft with no Type Approval The second airplane was completed in September 193 I under a Group Two Approval (-383) and carried registrashytion NC 11342 It differed from the prototype in the shape of the fin and rudder and used a fixed-pitch metal propeller instead of a wooden one Unshyfortunately I can find no record as to the ultimate fate of either airplane bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

by George Hardie Jr

Heres another contender in the 1930s airplane market that didnt make it The photo was taken in Wichita Kansas and was submitted by George Goodhead of Tulsa Oklahoma Anshyswers will be published in the June 1990 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE Deadline for that issue is April 10 1990

The December 1989 Mystery Plane

drew two interesting answers Lloyd S Gates of Norway Maine writes

The December Mystery Plane is the one and only Dayton-Wright Messhysenger It is reported to have been deshysigned by O W Thomas who was working at Dayton-Wright at the time and the airplane was used as a test bed for the engine to be used in the Kettershying Bug an early pilotless bomb

Dayton-Wright Messenger 34 MARCH 1990

The airplane was powered by a four-cylinder two-cycle air-cooled Vee engine of 40 hp designed by CH Wills or Harold Morehouse (take your pick) The engine is usually referred to as a dePalma but it was also known as a WB B The significance of these inshyitials is unknown

The photo was probably taken at South Field Dayton Ohio in August 1918 I expect that you may receive several responses to this one as the photo appeared several times in varishyous publication and is confused with the Sperry Messenger which is an enshytirely different aircraft

Nathan Rounds of Zebulon Georgia adds this

It is the Dayton-Wright Messenger of the 1919 era as the Armistice of World War I caused some aircraft comshypanies to turn their attention to small single-seat sport planes

The Messenger was powered by a two-cycle four-cylinder Vee type enshygine a dePalma weighing 37 pounds per hp and had a fuel consumption of four gallons per hour The airplane reshysembled the deHavilland types in landshy

ing gear wing attachment to center Speed was given as 37 to 85 mph would make a good homebuilt section groundloop skids etc Single The engine developed 37 hp at 2 000 sportplane today cables were used for the flying and rpm Empty weight was 476 pounds Other answers were received form landing wires They were streamlined with 12 gallons of gasoline Length Frank M Pavliga Cuyahoga Falls with rubber fairings The fuselage was was 17 feet six inches span 19 feet Ohio John C Nordt III South Miami constructed of longerons veneer sides three inches height six feet one inch Florida and Charley Hayes Park Forshyand wood strips instead of wires maximum gross weight 636 pounds It est Illinois bull

CORRECTION

THE CAIN SPORT by Robert Pauley

Bob Pauley of Farmington Hills Michigan called our attention to a typographical error in the answer pubshylished in the October 1989 issue His story adds some further details on the CAIN (not Cairn) Sport - George Hardie Jr

The Cain Aircraft Corporation was formed in January 1931 by Harry Cain who had previously worked at Stinson Aircraft and later for Verville Aircraft That January he opened a small shop at 10527 Gratiot Avenue about a half mile from the Detroit City Airport There with the help of some local airshycraft mechanics he built the Cain Sport a two-place side-by-side parasol-wing trainer Cain had done most of the design work in his spare time while working at his previous jobs His goal was to have the airplane

on display at the upcoming National Aircraft show That show was schedshyuled for April I I through April 19 193 I at the nearby Detroit City Airshyport This gave Cain slightly over three months to complete the airplane

As could be expected the airplane was not finished in time for the openshying of the show on Saturday April II By working day and night that week Cain and his crew completed the airplane the following Friday at 300 am and it was placed on display durshying the last two days of the show Unshyfortunately because of the late arrival the new airplane was not shown in the main hangar display area but was releshygated to an adjacent tent erected for late arrivals As a result the new Cain design received a minimum of publishycity and more importantly no orders Undaunted although somewhat disapshypointed Cain test flew the prototype

the following week at the Detroit City Airport

Cain planned to offer the airplane in two versions one with a slow wing for training that gave a maximum speed of 100 mph and a speed wing with a 135-mph top speed Furthershymore a cabin version of the Cain was planned as a future development

Two Cain airplanes were built The prototype that was shown at the Nashytional Aircraft Show carried the CAB registration number I I 191 as a regisshytered aircraft with no Type Approval The second airplane was completed in September 193 I under a Group Two Approval (-383) and carried registrashytion NC 11342 It differed from the prototype in the shape of the fin and rudder and used a fixed-pitch metal propeller instead of a wooden one Unshyfortunately I can find no record as to the ultimate fate of either airplane bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

ing gear wing attachment to center Speed was given as 37 to 85 mph would make a good homebuilt section groundloop skids etc Single The engine developed 37 hp at 2 000 sportplane today cables were used for the flying and rpm Empty weight was 476 pounds Other answers were received form landing wires They were streamlined with 12 gallons of gasoline Length Frank M Pavliga Cuyahoga Falls with rubber fairings The fuselage was was 17 feet six inches span 19 feet Ohio John C Nordt III South Miami constructed of longerons veneer sides three inches height six feet one inch Florida and Charley Hayes Park Forshyand wood strips instead of wires maximum gross weight 636 pounds It est Illinois bull

CORRECTION

THE CAIN SPORT by Robert Pauley

Bob Pauley of Farmington Hills Michigan called our attention to a typographical error in the answer pubshylished in the October 1989 issue His story adds some further details on the CAIN (not Cairn) Sport - George Hardie Jr

The Cain Aircraft Corporation was formed in January 1931 by Harry Cain who had previously worked at Stinson Aircraft and later for Verville Aircraft That January he opened a small shop at 10527 Gratiot Avenue about a half mile from the Detroit City Airport There with the help of some local airshycraft mechanics he built the Cain Sport a two-place side-by-side parasol-wing trainer Cain had done most of the design work in his spare time while working at his previous jobs His goal was to have the airplane

on display at the upcoming National Aircraft show That show was schedshyuled for April I I through April 19 193 I at the nearby Detroit City Airshyport This gave Cain slightly over three months to complete the airplane

As could be expected the airplane was not finished in time for the openshying of the show on Saturday April II By working day and night that week Cain and his crew completed the airplane the following Friday at 300 am and it was placed on display durshying the last two days of the show Unshyfortunately because of the late arrival the new airplane was not shown in the main hangar display area but was releshygated to an adjacent tent erected for late arrivals As a result the new Cain design received a minimum of publishycity and more importantly no orders Undaunted although somewhat disapshypointed Cain test flew the prototype

the following week at the Detroit City Airport

Cain planned to offer the airplane in two versions one with a slow wing for training that gave a maximum speed of 100 mph and a speed wing with a 135-mph top speed Furthershymore a cabin version of the Cain was planned as a future development

Two Cain airplanes were built The prototype that was shown at the Nashytional Aircraft Show carried the CAB registration number I I 191 as a regisshytered aircraft with no Type Approval The second airplane was completed in September 193 I under a Group Two Approval (-383) and carried registrashytion NC 11342 It differed from the prototype in the shape of the fin and rudder and used a fixed-pitch metal propeller instead of a wooden one Unshyfortunately I can find no record as to the ultimate fate of either airplane bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35