Vintage Airplane - Oct 1978

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Oct 1978

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HELPThe Vintage Airplane Magazine is in grave danger. The problem is lack of material.

s with SPORT VI TIO and other E publications we are almost totally depen-dent on the photographic generosity and writing activity of our readership. It s up toyou to share with the other members of the Antique/Classic Division your experiences ,memories, photographs or research . Headquarters can not do it all on its own. Thesupply of manuscripts is so low that unless we hear from some of you soon there maynot be a happy new year. Please get involved now Paul H. Poberezny, PublisherDavid Gustafson, Editor


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David Gustafson Photo)Rya n PT-22

Editorialtaff

PublisherPaul H. PobereznyEditorDavid Gustafson

Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington , Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch,Edward D. Williams, Byron (Fred) FredericksenReaders are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assignedto those writers who submit five or more articles .which are published in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and a free oneyear membership in the Division for their efforts. POLICY-Opinionsexpressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reportingrests entirely with the contributor. Directors

ANTIQUE/CLASSIC William J. Ehlen AI KelchRoute 8 Box 506 7018 W . Bonniwell Ro adIVISION Tampa, Florida 336 18 Mequon , Wi scons in 53092FFICERS Claude l. Gray, Jr . Morton W. Le sterPRESIDENT 9635 Sylvia Avenu e Box 3747J. R. NIELANDER, JR. Northridge , California 9132 4 Martinsville, Virginia 2411 2P.O. BOX 2464 Dale A. Gu staf son Arthur R. MorganFT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33303 7724 Sh ady Hill Drive 3744 N. 51 st BourevardInd ianapolis, Indiana 46274 Milwauk ee, Wi sconsin 53216VICE-PRESIDENT Richard Wagner M . C. " Kelly" VietsJACK WINTHROP P.O . Box 181 RR 1 Box 151RT. 1, BOX 111 Lyons, Wi scon sin 53 148 Stillwell , Kansas 6608 5ALLEN, TX 75002AdvisorsRonald Fritz1989 Wil son , NWSECRETARYW. BRAD THOMAS, JR. Grand Rapid s, Mi chig an 49504301 DODSON MILL ROADPILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041 John R. Turgyan Rober t E. Kes sel1530 Kuser Road 445 Oakridge DriveTrenton, New Jersey 08619 Rochester, New York 14617TREASURERE. E. "BUCK" HILBERT Stan Gomoll Robert A . White8102 LEECH RD. 1042 90th Lane, NE Box 704UNION, IL 60180 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55434 Zellwood, Florida 32798

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exc lusi vely by EAA Ant ique/Classic DiviSion, Inc " and is publ ishedmonthl y at Hales Cor ners, Wisconsin 5313 . Secon d class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Offi ce ,Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and addit ional mailing off ices. Membe rship rates for EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc., are 14.00 per 12 month per iod of wh ich 10. is for the publi cat ion of THEVIN TAGE AI RP LANE. Membersh ip is o pen to all who a re i nterested in aviation .

The VINTAGEAII1PLANEOFFICIAL MAGAZINE

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION INC.

of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130

Copyright C 1978 EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc ., All Rights Reserved .OCTOBER 1978 VOLUME 6 NUMBER 10

On The Cover . .. loe Era/e s Curtiss Robin. Photo by David Gustafson .)

TABLE OF CONTENTSMore O shkosh '78 by David Gustafson . . . . . ., . . , ., .. . . .. , ' , . .. , . . . , 4History of Flight '78 . .. , , . . . . , " , . . , ., ' , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9'Curtiss Robin by David Gustafson . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . .. 12Winners . . . . . . .. , . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . , .. . , , , , . , .. , . , .. . , . . . . . . , .. . . . . . . 16From The Ground Up by lois Kelch . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Tom 's Travelair by Kent McMakin . . , . . . . , . . . . , , .. " . . . , . . .. . , . . .. . . . 21Staggerwings In Uniform by AI Gililland . , . . . .. . .. .. .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Restoration Tips: Radio Installations in C-170's andOther Classi cs by Don langford .. , , , .. . . . , , , . . . , . , .. , , , . , , , . , , .. , " 25Calendar of Events . . . . .. . , . , . . . . .. . , ., ' ,. , , . .. . . . . . . . . . , . , , . , , .. 26

E ANTIQUE CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIPo NO N -EAA MEMBER - $20,00. Includes one year memb ership in the EA A Antique /Class ic Divisio n, 12 monthly iss ues o f THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE ; on e yearbe rship in the Experimental Aircraft Associ ation and se parate memb ership ca rd s.SPORT AVIATION magazine not included.o EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Inc ludes one year membership in the EAA .Antique/Class icDivision , 12 monthly iss ues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE AND /MEMBERSHIP CARD.(Appli ca nt must be cur rent EAA memb er and must give EAA membership number.)

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MOR OSHKOSH '78

y David Guslafson, EclilOrAs the song goes: It was a very good year . Aside

from a dramatic thunderstorm that tickled the northend of the field, providing a thrilling backdrop forthe opening of Monday's air show, the weather thi syear was everything 1977 had left to be desired. Abundant sunshine covered the field in the mornings, puffyclouds rolled in for lun ch, out for dinner, and temperatures everyone would like to see year-round combined to create a pilot and photographers ' dream.Like prospective parents who cross the thresholdof expectancy earlier than anticipated, we were allsurprised to count 377 display aircraft on the fieldwhen the sun set on the eve before the Convention sopening. That tally included 42 Antiqu e and 116 Classicaircraft, many 'of which had staked out a piece of thecampground south of Ollie 's Park . So when dawncracked on Saturday there was already an excellentrepresentation of vintage planes, 82 more than a yearearlier, and each successive day saw another newrecord in attendance. At week s end, the Antique /Classic Divi sion could not only boast of a bigger andbetter fly-in than in previous years, but it could againlay c la im- if it means anything- to the largest totalnumber of display aircraft on the field . Antiques andClassics outnumbered Homebuilts by several hundredand Warbirds by a factor of five. In aircraft registrations that translates into 190 Antiques, 7 Replicas , anda whopping 604 Classics .Naturall y a lot of Oshkosh regulars and intermittanttypes ( irregulars ? turned up again. Hours were filledand quickly passed with reunions and exchanges ofthe latest flying stories . What makes each day reallyexciting, ho wever, are the arrivals of the debutantes,the basket cases that have had the full Cinderella treatment before their co ming out party. Like royal goldfiligree they shine in all directions; like the ancienttheatres of Greece, they remind us of another timethat's curiously grown to seem more noble and lesscomplicated than what we 're locked into now.

With each year the stories of restorations, of whatthe builders had in the first place, of what the y hadto find or build anew, grow ever more involved. Easypickin s are gone. These days, or in the last decade ,people have had to start with some pretty empty baskets.This year, the trophy for Grand Champion Antiquewent to Joe & Joe Erale 's Curtiss Robin, a ten-yearproject; Grand Champion Classic was Ron Wojnar'sAeronca Champ which was also a full decade in theremaking . Both planes were at Oshkosh for the first

Photo y Ted Ko stonS. L. Wa lli ck, Jr., pilolShi S80ein g 700 P 12 F4 8-1 ) overOshko sh .time; both were rebuilt by their owners. They sharedcenter stage with some other outstanding newcomerslike Jack Chastain 's rare Rawdon T-1 , Ray Stebnis' andJack Schnaube It 's excellent Fa irch Id 22, Margaretand Rick Demond s sparkling Corben Ace (antiquehomebuilt) . Donald Cassidy flew in a beautifully customized Spartan Executive, and S. L. Wallick arrived


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in the world's on ly Boeing 100, while Wallace Mitchellbrought in his one of a kind RPT Waco low wing. Therewere some exciting replica debuts: a brand new Spad,Fokker Triplane, even a Ramsey Bathtub (from Baker,Oregon ).Since there are so many Class ics, it 's difficult tonail down. what's new or freshly refurbished, but thenumber put on the block for judging expands rapidlyevery year, which is indicative of the effort peopleare making to preserve and maintain everyth ing thatflies.

Among the scads of tasteful wet- look classicpaint schemes, were a liberal sprinkling of bare 'npolished metal planes that were sometimes blindingin the sunlight. Beauty was occasionally more thanskin deep with some of these C lassics as found in thecase of a gleaming Luscombe 8F that looked stock atfirst glan ce, but which harbored a 150 HP Lycomingunder its cowl.Of course, there 's more to Oshkosh than fossilaircraft. For example, there are the archaeo ogicaldiscussions about the roots of early aviation. Thirtynine of the forty forums scheduled for tent number3 beside the Antique/Classic field headquarters , wentoff on schedule, drawing some full houses and stronglyappreciative responses. Ollie 's Park, between theAntique Parking and the Antique /Classic AircraftCampgrounds provided an ideal setting for a fingerlickin good picnic. It was a pleasure to see so manywives and kids present. A lot of those people recon-vened at the same spot on Friday night following theawards show in the Main Forums Pavilion.

Highlighting the week of Antique/Classic activitiesat Wittman Field, and driving Chairman Ron Fritz andsome of the other organ izers to the brink of babble,was the airborn History of Flight. Lauded by all as anoverwhelming success, the Parade sequenced nearlyall the major types of aircraft developed between the1911 Curtiss Pusher (which led the parade) througha United Airlines DC-8 jet which flew through after104 antiques, classics and warbirds. Breaking thesteady flow of fly-by s from time to time were somebarnstormers who regularly perform airshow routineswith Vintage aircraft. They held the stage for a while,twisting smoke trails into delicate geometric patterns.It's safe to say that never before in the history of avia-tion have so many people volunteered their time anda irplanes to participate in such an extravaganza.The picture presented of air progress was quite com-prehensive. Naturally, next year 's will be even bigger,hopefully better and even more exciting.

Photo by ick Stouffer )The Antique/Classic parking area at Oshkosh


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ANTIQUE AIRCRAFT IN ATTENDANCEREGISTRATION AIRCRAFT TYPEAERONCAN14632 C-3N22322 ChiefN22359 S-65CAN27302 ChiefN33702 ChiefN31S37 65TLN33757 65TCN49302 L3AMERICAN EAGLEN7310 American Eagle 101N54SY Amer ican Eaglet

BEECHCRAFTN40E D-17SNl195V StaggerwingN9113H D-17SN9724H D-17SN44562 StaggerwingN5329S D-17SN67550 D- 17SNS0305 G-17SC-FGWC D-17SCESSNAN15462 C-34N20764 C- 165N20765 AirmasterN254S5 C-165N69072 T-50DE HAVILLANDN4446 Tiger MothCF-BHK Tiger MothCF-CTN Tiger Moth

DOUGLASN45WT DC-3N1S949 DC-3N5454 2 DC-3FAIRCHILDNC1476S Fairchild 22NC3629 Fairchild 24N19177 Fairchild 24N22032 Fairchild 24N25323 Fairchild 24N27697 Fairchild 24RN77605 Fairchild 24N7760S Fairchild 24WNCS1263 Fairchild 24WNS131S Fairchild 24NS1333 Fairchild 24WNCS134S Fairchild 24RNS1356 FairchildN13DR PT-19N46395 PT-19AN51S74 PT-19N66S13 PT-19N69167 PT-26PT-26

PILOT AND/OR OWNERDale Wolford. Ashland . OHJohn A. Moore , Escanaba. MILawrence F Diedrick, Lodi, WIJerry Ernst , Owosso , MIJoseph A. Simandl , West Allis , WIRobert Decker/Scot Decker , East Peoria ,ILDwayne Tucker. Concord , ARKeith A. Littlefield Tacoma, WAEd Wegner . Plymouth . WIGene Morris/Mary Morris, Hampshire.IL

Glen McNabb . Jasper . TNJohn W. Womack . lola . KSDonald R Quinn, Inner Grove Heights.

MND. W. Koeppen , New Milford. CTRichard Hansen , Batavia ILRichard L. Perry. Hampshire . ILR. C. Vanausdell . Santa Paula , CAJames Gorman , Mansfield, OHGeorge Lemay. N. W. Calgary , Canada

Clyde Bourgeois, Santa Ynez. CAHarry Menear , Palmyra , PAJohn Bergeson , Mt . Pleasant . MIGar Williams , Naperville. ILJames Kramer Boynton Beach. FL

John Bright , Kalamazoo . MIC. E. Rankine. Scarborough. Ont..CanadaFrank Evans{Tom Dietrich , Kitchener,Ont Canada

Tom May. Un iontown , OHGeorge W. Gibson . Antrim . NHEAA Air Museum . Franklin . WI

Ray Steinbis/Jack Schnaubelt. Elgin . ILC. C. Mason , Mora. MNRuss Schmude. Oshkosh. WIAllen D. Henninger , Tullahoma. TNEd Wegner . Plymouth. WIDon Genzmer, Mukwonago , WIGlenn M. Kindell . Mesa. AZBurton Modert. Jackson, MIWarren Long , Thomasville, GANeil Fuller. Midland . MISteve Thomas, Belvidere. ILH. Van Bortel/B. Moore. Palmyra . NY. Don Mather, Huron. OHRobert M. Young /Bob Falls . McLoud . OKGerard Carlson East Hartford. CTWilliam T Patchett , Warrenton , VADonald Jensen . Albert Lea , MNJerold L. Frye. Bethalto . ILTerry R. Chastain. Singapore 21 .Singapore.

Photo y Ted ston)Gene Morris of Hampshire ,Illinois flew up in this Tra-vel ir 4000.

GRUMMANNIAS Widgeon G-44N7491 WidgeonN62000 WidgeonHOWARDN14SS7 DGA-l1N67433 DGA 15PNC95462 DGA 15PINTERSTATEN37303 Interstate Cadet S 1ANC37334 Interstate CadetNC37357 Interstate Cadet S1A

Arthur C. Slifel III. Miami Beach FLBrian Van Wagner . Clark Lake. MIJames Rogers. Middlebury IN

John Witt . Minneapolis, MNClayton Graves. Santa Paula, CAChub /Bette Trainor. Wayne. NJ

H. Edward Westlake . Columbus. OHTim Talen/Marian Johnson . CottageGrove, ORRichard Redell . Lake Geneva. WI


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(PhOO by Ted Koslon )d Wegner of Plymouth ,

Wisconsin taxies his mericanEagle down the flight lin e.LUSCOMBE

SAN1972BN2514S SCN25173NC25174 SAN25342 SAN28547N39083 SA

LOCKHE EDNC105W egaN1 2AT 12AN36P 12A

R N. Branson , Burleson , TXDon D Dodge , Manhattan, KSArthur R Morgan , Milwaukee WIDavid Novak. Alg oma , WIHarold Wighton, Roslyn , WAEarl W . Ellis , Westminster , COGerry Sheahan West Allis , WIRobert E. Tree , Remu s MI

Dave Jameson , Oshk os h. WIEAA Air Museum , Frankl in. WIPaul Valentino , Bloomfield , MI

MEYERSN26487 OTWN34311 OTWMONOCOUPEN369HNl1760N15427N18062 90AN38922NAVYN1 2063 N3N-3N45222 N3N-3

PIPERN19554 J-2N23200N24603 J-3N24693 J-3wnc30233 J-3N30859 J-3NC32S52 J-3N33578 J-3N3432N J-3N35811 J-3N38259 J-3N42028 J-3N49901N51574 J-3N43518 L-4NC26716 J-4AN28205 J-4NC30340 J-4AN41153 J-4N35697 J-5N38243 J-5AN59988 J-5ARYANN18911 SCWNS146 STMN47210 PT- 22N53148 PT-22REAR WI NN20723 SportsterN25570 SportsterSPARTANN705N C 3N97DC ExecutiveN836 ExecutiveNC13993 ExecutiveN17605 ExecutiveNC17615 ExecutiveN20200 ExecutiveSTEARMANN78SH YP-9N21ECN44JP N2S5N44WRN16SDN450PW A75NlN966CDN1034 N2-S1Nl066NNt 395VN9078H

Charles Downey/Melbourne Schmidt ,Hinsdale , IL

Richard Martin Green Bay, WI

Nelson Eskey/Ron Testerman , BlueRidge , VA

Joseph Jones, Pleasant Hill , OHMatthew B. Poelking , Wadsworth , OHH. Art Marsden /J. D. Slack, Argos , INBud Dake, Berkeley, MO

,Tom Ahlers , SI. Charles , MOArnold W. Lindall, Marine on SI. Croix ,MN

Dave Jameson , Oshkosh WIThomas Janusevic, Rockford , ILWilliam T . Coleman , Portage , WIDennis Agin , Cleveland , OHGeorge Williams , Poynette , WITim Lyons, Lake Bluff ILPeter Doblosky, Manville , NJRobert W. Reid III , San Jose, CADonald Jensen Albert Lea , MNGus Limbach , Mahtomedi MND. Diedrich, McHenry , ILNorman Lewis , Frederichsburg. OHJohn Young , Reynoldsburg , OHNorbert Okoniewski , Utica. MIGene ONeill , Fostoria, IADan Kuhlman/Dave Coller , Coraopolis,PAGlenn D. Charles , Irwin, PAAlan Anderson . Grosse lie , MIRoger l Herren , Cla yton , ILEd Hedlund, South Haven, MID. J. Rohrbaugh , Ft . Wayne, INLeo Waiter , Riley, KS

Richard McDonald , Olympia , WABobby Friedman , Highland Park , ILDon McMakin , Sarasota , FLJames G .Taylor , Sky Harbor Air Park , MN

Alfred Nagel, Montello WIKenneth Williams , Portage, WI

Ed Wegner , Plymouth , WIDonald Cassidy , Martinsville , INNorm Kleman. Hampshire . ILRobert Pond , Eden Prairie , MNDonald E. Dickenson , Santa Paula, CAJ . T. Patterson , Louisville , KYWilliam Goldman Chandler , AZ

Ray Stephen /C . R Jones , Livermore, CAEd Colman , Genesel, NYRobert Graves/Charlotte Parish ,

Tullahoma, TNW. F. Russell , Houston TXSusan Dacy , Harvard, I LBob and Pat Wagner , Miamisburg , OHChuck Doyle, Apple Valley , MNNorman Corsaut , Traverse City . MIDavid E. Neuser, Manitowoc WIDavid Litchfield, Bloomfield, CTF. R. Griffin , Minnetonka BeachMN


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(Pharo by Lee Fray) Photo by David Gustafson)Convention Chairman for theAntiquelClassic area, J R f Convention Director Tom Poberezny discusse s theNielander (ieft) and Co-Chairman Robert A. White. week s activities with the press.

N9301H Leslie A. Haley, Old Mystic , CT NC29898 Andrew T. Surratt. Medinah l N127Y Wallace Mitchell. Brookfield WIN38940 William F. Bohannan Columbus. OH N33992 Larry Grimm , Finleyville, PA N16591 EOC-6 Stan Gomoll Blaine , MNN55626 Chuck Andreas. Neenah . WI N36256 Ralph Grebb . Sulphur Springs , TX NC29903 UPF-7 Richard Peterson/William Amundson.N55809 Michael Hall, Palatine IL N36298 Ralph V. Jones. Suitland MD Stoughton WIN57947 Edward A Pease , West Mystic. CT N36389 Dave Siler Versailles. MO N30186 UPF-7 James J . Sorenson , Green Bay , WIN61511 Roger Koerner Kankakee IL N46667 James Souris. Minneapolis. MN NC30188 UPF-7 Henry Geissler . Webster . MNN63991 Marvin Sievert, MinneapolIS. MN N47026 Stanley A. York Mansfield. OH N32084 UPF-7 Loel Crawford Harvard , ILN75228 PT-17 Paul R. Beck , Sausalito CA NC47301 Arch L. Howard /Harold N. Downing , NC2309 VKS-7 Kermit D. Hoffmeier , Kearney, MOLexington , KY N31653 VKS-7F Vince Marian . Findlay , OH

N47481 Gerald Boling . Newcastle IN N29375 RPT Wallace Mitchell. Brookfield WISTINSON N47583 Robert J . Kuhlow , Brookfield . WINC408Y SM-8A EAA Air Museum. Franklin WI N50107 Willi am Schank St. Pau . MN ADD ITIONAL ANTIQUESNC443G Jr. S D. F. Neuman. MinneapoliS , MN NC50129 Larry Moffitt Raytown MO N872H Boeing 100 P-12 F4B-1) S. L Wallick Jr , Bellevue WAN100JN SR-9F John T. Neumeister. Sussex. NJ N50964 William G. Baldwin Pacifica . CA NX5148 Corben Baby Ace Richard Demond Whitmore Lake . MIN18410 Reliant Stanley L. Kuck Kohler WI N91032 Dale Jorgensen , Algoma , WI N101B Culver Cadet David W Starbuck , Rudd IAN9t 78H vn Tallie Holland Columbus , OH NR59H Curtiss Rob m Joseph EralefBil1 Garvey. Brentwood,N22531 HW-75 Richard F. Viles. Union Lake . MI L.I .. NYN23703 HW-75 Jerry L. Ackerman Perry OK N20915 Dart GK -24 Art Bishop/F Leidig Norton OHTRA VEL A IR NC28961 Ercoup e Thomas Rowland. EI Paso. TX

NC8115 Nick Rez ch Rockford . IL N24137 Funk Harry Keith Coffeyville KSTA YLORCRAFT N9088 4000 Gene Morr is. Hampshire. IL N543K Great Lakes Tom Bins. Three Lakes. WIN20407 Thomas R. Tr ip lett, Watertown WI CF-NXT Miles Hawk John W . MacGillivray, Ottaw a South ,N24341 Donald W. Berg /Harold Hamp Alm a MI WACO ant. CanadaN26690 Jasper Janssen. Houghton MI N6974 10 John Hatz. Gleason. WI N 12937 Pletenpol Forrest Lovely. Richfield MNNC27486 James E Edwards , Clearwater. FL N6930 ASO Dean Crites, Waukesha. WI N18743 Porter fie ld Charles E. Lebrecht Wonder Lake. ILN27657 John Gadeikis, Burlington. WI N12453 IBA Ed Packard So Bend IN Swallow Buck Hilbert /United Airlines. Union. ILN29869 A. N. Polidori , Mundelein. IL N655N Taperw ing Bob Lyjak Ann Arbor . MI NX 21 1 Sp rit of St. Louis EAA Air Museum Franklin. WIN29885 Samuel E. Winters. Hampsi re . IL NC11427 F- 2 L. E. Parsons, Carrollton OH CG-OMD Stam ps SV4B R. G. Hadf ield. M lton. an t.. Canada


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7977 Curtiss Pusher Dales Crites, Waukeshau, WI 7973 Spad VII Carl Swanson, Aliens Crove, WI

Swallow, Ryan Stinson The journeymen 935 Cessna C-34 Clyde Bourgeois, Santa Ynez CA

7938 Ryan SCw, Rich McDonald, Olympia WA 947 Waco VKS-7F Vince Maiani, Findlay OHt


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Story nd Photos by David Gu staf son Editor

Beer commercials have started a trend towardphilosophizing in an existential key, usually in fifteenwords or less: "You only go around once . grab allthe gusto you can."Recently, a sage hops merchant decreed, "Whenit's right, you know it." The simplistic reasoning inthis tome is that you can often wander around in thedecision making ho-hums until chance and other oddingredients suddenly touch off a flash of "there it is "or "that s it, that's the one " All this heavy logic ismeant to point up the fact that when John Garveytaxied up in the Curtiss Robin that had been restoredby owners Joe Erale, Junior and Senior, there were agaggle of judges and other onlookers who lit up likethey were auditioning for a TV commercial.It was "right " and nearly everyone knew it. TheRobin was parked among a very large and impressivegroup of immaculate restorations, yet something setit apart.The Joseph Erale 's, a father and son team, had salvaged a notable piece of aviation history, an airplanethat's worth at least a partial review here.The beginnings of the Erale 's " First Curtiss Robin "(which really isn 't the first one at all-- it's got SIN 46 2)rea ch back to late 1927 or early 1928. Curtiss, who wasmost actively involved in military production at the

lim e, had dabbled occasionally with commercial models lik e the Oriole , Lark an d Carrier Pidgeon. Sen singthat the open cockpit bipl ane was limited to the whimsof climate and likel y therefore to eventually face repl acement in the comm ercial market by closed cabinairplanes, Curtiss proceeded to sketch out a threese at "enclosed " airplan e. He ca lled it the Robin. Itwas distinctive because of its squared off, straightlines look . There was more to Curtiss ' thinking thansimplicity in construction; he subjected the structureto wind tunnel tests and found it was aerodynamicallyefficient. The first X-model Robin had three doorsThe production model was cut back to two doors onthe right side.With a skylight and full-length side windows for thepilot, visibility was excellent. Since over-productionin the first world war had left Curtiss with a warehouse full of OX-5 engines , he naturally mountedone on the Robin. The prototype OX-5 Robin wasgiven A.T.e. #40, but wasn ' t used for production .Curtiss went on to develop the prototype ChallengerRobin (A.T.e. #63). Then there emerged a productionline OX-5 Robin (A.T.e. #68) and right behind it, theChallenger version (A.T .e. # 69) . Factory production of both models was undertaken by the CurtissRobertson Aircraft Company at Lambert Field in St.Louis . It was one of the OX-5 Robins (converted toaccept a Wright J-5 radial) that was flown by 'WrongWay Corrigan " across the Atlantic.The Challenger-Robin, which is what the Erale sare currently flying (they also have the bones of anOX-5 Robin) had been developed in 1928 to uti zeArthur Nutt's new engine design. Nutt was a Curtissemployee.

Originally rated at 165 horsepower, the six cyl inderChallenger proved itself highly reliable for the period.Somewhere in the next couple of years , the factorywould go on to upgrade the engine to 170 and then185 horspower . According to Joseph Juptner: " The'Challenger' engine was an air-cooled radial type of arather odd configuration, it was a staggered twin-row' radial that was actually two banks of three cylinderseach operating off of a two-th row crankshaft."From the firewall back the two models were virtuallyidentical save in the matter of empty weight and performance specs. Both had two 25-gallon gas tanks,steerable tail skids, and the options of wheel brakesand flying struts, which could add 41 square feet oflift area to the 224 square feet already occupied bythe wing . It was also possible to equip both Robintypes with dual controls and man y were thus employed in the network of Curtiss flying schools aroundthe country.

Number 462 of the Challenger series was pulledoff the assembly line for special duty. There was nothing special about 462 ; it was "s tock " in all respeds.With a few additions , however, it was made readyfor an endurance contest that would see Red Jacksonand Forest O 'Brine over St. Louis for a record breaking 420 hours or 17% days. During the course of theflight they were refueled by another Challenger Robin.Most likely, something about the flight and the recordcontributed to the identification of #462 as " the 1stCurtiss Robin " . The exact reason is lost. Workingfrom photographs in day-by-day account of the flightwhich ran in the SI louis ispatch and the New YorkTimes the Erale 's have recreated the paint scheme ofthe plane as it appeared in the course of the endurancefl ight.That endurance record, which changed handsfrequently in those days, was not without its share ofrisks. While Jackson and O'Brine were aloft, enjoyinggood weather, several others were either forceddown, or they crashed in IFR conditions. On the otherhand, the St . Louis duo encountered other threats,the major one being the need to change two sparkplugs while flying. When they noticed the engine wasrunning rough, Jackson climbed out on a catwalkand traced the trouble to the bottom two plugs.They sent down word to the ground crew and engineers who decided the plugs should be changed inflight A device was quickly developed to compressthe valve springs so that the pressure in the cyl inderswou Id be rei ieved. Jackson c imbed out again for atask few people will ever face or would want to. Fortunately the air was smooth. Can you imagine whatit would have been like with a moderate chop? Jackson was successful in his efforts, but he severelyburned his hands on the exhaust pipes in the process.Fears of infection threatened the fl ight now, butmedication and luck took effect and Red 's only problem was the pain.Then the engine started missing again.This time the trouble was diagnosed as a bad mag.A check on the right side revealed nothing, a checkon the left showed the problem . It almost seemedsilly: a loose safety wire was flopping about and periodically grounding the mag.After 420 hours Bill Robertson ordered the planeback on the ground, even though O 'Brine and Jackson were eager to continue. When they d had timeto shower and shave the record setters were driventhrough St. Louis and Chicago in massive parades .Then they took " The First Robin " on a 14-city tour .In Syracuse, New York Forest O 'Brine lost it on a land

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ing and wiped out the right wing, tail group and engine. Gulf Oil bought what was left, replaced thebroken structures and hung an upgraded 185 horsepower Challenger on the front. William Case thentook the plane on a promotional tour for Gulf in1930 that wound through every state in the Union.In 1932, Gulf donated the Robin to the FranklinInstitute which put it on display from July of that yearuntil December, 1940, when it was loaned to Roosevelt Field. They kept it until their closing in 1951,at which time Frog Chapman bought it as junk for$350.00. He towed the deteriorating cargo home andlet it sit for another 16 years. Obviously, this CurtissRobin had seen better days.In 1967, the Erale's negotiated a purchase agreement that included 'a clear title: the plane was stillowned by the Gulf Oil Company, but no one at Gulfwanted to assume responsibility for signing over thetitle (sound familiar?) until the Erale's got in touchwith the President, who took the step that launchedthe rebuild.Though they didn't know it at the time, Joe and Joewere facing a full decade of intermittant work. Theslow and arduous task of tearing down , cleaning,building and rebuilding wasn t anything new. JoeSenior (now 66) runs an auto bod y business on LongIsland. At one point he built up his own unique sportscar. He then shifted over to airplanes, having purchased a large variety of restoration projects in the1950's, when they were cheap. Prior to the Robin herestored three UPF-7 s and a Cabin Waco. He alsoredid an award winning 1929 Curtiss Fledgling whichhe subsequentl y sold to the Brazilian Government.Young Joe (32) had pitched in from time to timeand leaned toward the mechanical end of things. He snow an A & P, working on his AI and seems to be shooting for some sort of student pilot record: he s had astudent ticket sin ce he started flying his father 's TriPacer in 1962.What they were confronted with in 1967, was basically a complete aircraft- less a prop, instrumentsand lower cowl which needed a total refurbishing.Left out in the harsh New England weather for a dozenyears, the fuselage required stripping, sandb asing,and a couple new chunks of tubing.Fortunately, the wings and tail groups had beenstored inside and were in decent condition. In therecovering process, however, the wings and fuselage,were skinned with Ceconite. The lift struts were doneover with Grade AJoe Jr. admits the compromise in fabric was motivated by finances, but wishes it might have been other

wise. Other changes from factory specs include theuse of some phil l ip head screws, the required ELT,and a bunch of nicropress sleeves. I didn ' t want tolearn cable splicing and weaving on the control linesfor this plane," says Joe Jr. "so we used the nicropresssleeves and I faked the splicing over the sleeves." Ifhe hadn't given away the secret, few people wou ldhave noticed.Both men were surprised when they tore downthe engine. It had not been overhauled since it wasbuilt in 1930, and had not run since 1931, but internallyit was in near perfect condition. They honed the cylinders, cleaned off the pistons to check for cracks,and without replacing so much as a gasket they reassembled all of the original parts . After a modestsea rch they located a prop in Alaska and managed toscrounge up the necessary inst ruments to refill thepanel.In the process of replacing original bolts with ANhardware, they stuck with castle nuts and cotter pinsthroughout. There isn 't a stopnut in the entire machine. That 's a lotta cotterpins.The interior of the plane was completely done over,and in the process they removed the doors and theupholstered panels on the doors. Apparent ly thedoors had been ent irely painted before the originalpanels were attached. Removal therefore providedan unfaded paint chip that could be used to createthe original base colo r. As mentioned earlier, photographs from old newspapers showed how the side

of the plane had been lettered. Some simple scalework gave an indication of word size.Paint on the fabric is all butyrate and the metalparts are covered with lacquer. Hand rubbing produced a gleaming surface that scatters sunlight inexquisite patterns .August, 1976 after 12 years of silence, theChallenger sputtered and roared again. The Robinflew I ke it was fadory new. Years of effort and sweatwere suddenly rewarded as the airfoil did its job.Rightfully concerned about proteding such a gemfrom hangar rash , theft and other bad possibilities,the Erale s were pleased to secure hangar space ona 400 acre Long Island potato farm where they canshare a 2200' grass strip with another antique loverwho has seven vintage planes of his own.

With the assistance of Pan Am Captain Bill .Garvey,young Joe Erale accompanied the plane to Oshkosh' 78 where it handily earned the Grand ChampionTrophy.To come to Oshkosh Joe had to interrupt the workhe and his father are currently engaged in with anotherof those 1950's basket cases. It 's Joe Senior's fourthUPF-7 After that they ' ll tackle a 1928 OX-5 Robin, aStinson Reliant , two Command-Aires, an AlexanderEaglerock with a 180 hp Hisso, and a Fairchild 24. Talkabout workaholicsSure gives us a lot to look forward to though . . .

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FROM THE GROUND UPvignettes and photos by Lois Kelch

W. N. 622 Madi son Ave.Cedarburg, WI 53012

18 Lois and AI Kelch.

1945 J 3 CUB CLIP-WING NC33578Two very young men from California are venturesome and enthusiastic about aviation . They are on a

tour for the summer flying a 1945 J 3 Cub Clip-Wingairplane. Their first stop was the EAA Oshkosh Convention, and it took them 4 days.The pilot is 19 year old Robin Reid of San Jose whowas accompanied by 14 year old Wesley Ingalls ofCambell, Califomia.After soaking up all the excitement of the Convention, they are heading to Washington , D.C. and pointsnorth until time to return home and back to school.Their parting words were- 'We 're having a blast!"

Ch arle s " Mo o se Au ten of Belmont, Californi a.

CHARLES W. AUTEN MOOSEAs you walk among the thousands of airplanes ondisplay, and watch people looking at them with smilesand much interest, you wonder just what brought

about that interest. Not all the people on the flightline flew airplanes in, but all have a common interest- avia tio nOne such man is Charles Windsor " Moose" Auten,of Belmont, California. He is 70y ears young, and hasbeen flying since 1929 when he soloed in an OX5

Waco 10 after only V hours instruction. That madehim an expert and he in turn was instructing and hauling passengers with less than 10 hours solo time. Hisearly aviation history started in Grinnell, Iowa wherehe practiced his take-offs and landings from a pasture.He once took his grandfather for a ride in an Aristocraft for his first and only airplane ride. As the grandfather was climbing out of the cockpit, he smiled andsaid "I wasn't scared even a penny's worth "Charles loved to give people their first rides, beingsure not to do any sharp turns or rolls to frighten them .He must have succeeded, for they all came back formore.

He has worked for American Airlines as a maintenance man for 41 years. He notes with pride that heworked 38V years without a sick day off. Charlie isthe guest of Gene and Mary orr is nice guest tohave when you own an American Eaglet and a TravelAir.

Charles married his childhood sweetheart andthey have been flying together for 51 years. They havetwo sons- Charles flies for Braniff and Carl Richardflies for TWA. He even has a granddaughter with theinitials E.A.A. (Elizabeth Ann Austen)- how's thatfor carrying on tradition?

9 year old Robin Reid andhis navigator 4 year old Wes -ley Ingalls at Oshkosh.


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John La Mascus and his 7945 J Piper Cub1945 )3 PIPER CUB NC 42478As with so many of today's flying enthusiasts, JohnLa Mascus' dreams of flying started as a small boy whenhe saw airplanes flying over the cotton fields of Madera,California- he vowed he would be an airplane pilotsome day too.His dream of owning and flying his own airplanewas realized 11 years ago when he found this 1945Piper J3 Cub in a field, sitting among the weeds inDelano, California, with a homemade cardboard ForSale sign. He bought it, learned to fly, and flew it for

only one year, because it needed new fabric and a re-build job. Since he had a growing family, he left theplane in storage until 1975 when he started his restor-ing job, which took him 2 12 years of long hard workto bring it back to new condition.John is from Pacific Grove, California and he flewhis Piper to Oshkosh, accompanied by Arlene Eide,which took them 36 hours flying time, but actually 9days, due to some 1 and 2 day delays because of un-favorable weather conditions. His highest altitudeover the mountain passes was 10,500' and that 65 hpContinental purred on, high or low, hot or cold. TheCub is absolute perfection, and I found out how hekeeps that beautiful unscratched varnish on the floorboards- flies in his tennies .

1954 HEllO COURIER N242BAn intriging sleek looking airplane caught my eye,and it turned out to be the first production model

Helio Courier. It was donated to JAARS (Jungle Avia-tion and Radio Service, Inc.) by a man in Philadelphia ,to be used in their work around the world, currentlyin 35 countries. They use their 23 Couriers and 65 dif-

The JAA RS Courierferent aircraft in the'ir work supplying people who areout in the tribal areas with transportation and supplies,and last but not least, God's holy word .The pilot of the Courier who flew it to the EM Con-vention is Skip Holmberg of Arizona, who has spentthe last five years in Brazil with his family, but whohas now been reassigned to the U.s. as a public rela-tions spokesman for JAARSSeeing this STOL Courier flying a demonstrationWednesday afternoon, holding at what looked l ike15 miles indicated, showing its ability to land in thejungle, was deftly flown by Skip, held the crowd'sattention.

1932 CORBEN BABY ACE NX5148Serial 7 Continental A6

Richard Demond of Whitemore Lake, Michiganacquired hi s Corben Baby Ace from the late DeweyBryan, in 1972.It has been a family restoration job; his wife builtthe ribs, and 9 year old Lee and infant Amy were onhand for polishing and light construction.The restoration took 5 years and was accomplishedon their 9 x 14 sun porch at a cost of $1775.00.The trip from Brighton, Michigan to Oshkosh tookV hours. He flew in formation with a Taylorcraft anda Cessna 150.

Dick Demond and hi s Corben Ace.

Greg and his beautiful shiney Luscombe

1947 LUSCOMBE E SILVAIREN2424K

Seeing th.is beautiful shiny Luscombe reflectingthe morning Oshkosh sun, I walked up and found 21year o ld pilot, Gregg Beitel, using lots of elbow greaseand polish to get that mirror finish .It is Gregg's first time at Oshkosh, and he flew theLuscombe here from Gastonia, North Carolina, information with Richard Pettyjohn in his Cessna 120,and Jerry Heik in his Cessna 140. They got a thrill whenWeir Cook International Airport at Indianapolis invited them to fly over the airport for them to observethe interesting formation. The trip took them 8 hoursflying time, which was a little longer than anticipated,due to dodging some thunderstorms in Kentucky andTennessee.Bob Beitel, an airplane pilot for Eastern, taught histwo sons to fly at an early age The three of them havea hobby business of restoring antique airplanes.

They found the Luscombe in Chapel Hill, NorthCa rol ina in sad shape and restored it to its presentbeautifu I condition .Gregg will graduate from Purdue University in May1979, as an Aeronautical Engineer, and his ultimatedream is to go to work for NASA. With his drive andenthusiasm, I'm sure he will make it.

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Photo by Lee Fray). ANTIQUE JUDGESBack row left to right - John R Turgyon, DaleGustafson, Ed Wegner, Dick Martin Gene Mor-ris, Ken Williams Doug Rounds. Front rowleft to right - Don Coleman Pete CovingtonH. N. Dusty Rhodes, Claude Gray.

Photo by Lee Fray)Jack Winthrop left) Manpower Chairman and Jack Copeland the Manpower Co-Chairman.

Photo by Lee Fra ySeated, Phil Coulson and Ron Fritz. Standing , DonnaBenedict, Willard Benedict Antique /Classic Fl y-By Com-mittee.2


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rticle and Photo s y Kent McM akin622 Salem Street p artment 7

Rockton Illinoi s 6 72

Have you ever heard a restorer exclaim in disgust,Those damn duster pilots sure did butcher up a lotof nice old airplanes.Sure, it is too bad that they were modified in sucha way years ago . It makes for a lot of work to put themback into stock configuration . But, even though theAG business modified and cut up a lot of airplanes,if it weren t for them, there would be a whole lot fewerairplanes around for us to restore. Back in the late30's, 40 's and 50's a WACO 10 or Travelair wasn 'tworth a bucket of prop wash to the average Cub pilot.A considerable number of aircraft, which only a fewyears earlier were somebody's brand new pride andjoy, went down the tubes due to their obsolesence.Obsolete, that is to just about everybody but theAG pilot. He clung to these early birds for years afteralmost everyone else discarded them. They kept themgoing, working and f lying up into the ' 70 's in somecases until replacing them with newer equipment.So thanks to the AG business, many old machineswere saved . I, for one, have one of these ex-dustersunder restoration And so does Tom Hegy of Hart-ford, Wisconsin . Tom is the resuredor of a 1928 Travelair 2000. He has put a considerable amount of time,work and bucks in his ex-duster, but he really doesn tcurse the previous owners due to the fact that he isan AG pilot himself.Tom purchased his prize from John Thurmon inArizona way back in 1964. Not much was accomplishedon the Travelair until recent years.When obtained, the Travelair was a typical basketcase. A rusty jake hung on the nose, four decomposedwings, and a highly modified forward fuselage. Thefirewall section of the frame had been complete lychanged to accomodate the jacobs and much cuttingand welding was needed to bring it up to snuff.The huge air wheels were replaced with originallooking Bendix N3N wheels with hydraulic brakes, the


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heavy T -6 tailwheel assembly was discarded in favorof an ingenious Cessna 180 set-up. All of the wOQd inthe fuselage and tail sect ion were replaced. Only thefittings and a few drag wires are of 1928 vintage.Instead of using the old OX-S, Tom opted for thedependable 220 hp Continental with a Hamilton standard ground adjustable prop. The air filter carb heatbox are from a Timm N2T and makes for a neat, uncluttered installation It s just too bad these Timmcarb heat boxes are so scarce. The exhaust and cutdown accessory cowling is Stearman. All cockpit cowljjing is new, as is the aluminum wing leading edges.s you can see by the pictures, the workmanshipis beautiful. By the time you read this, Tom will probably be covering his creation (or recreation) with STITSand in original colors, Travelair blue and silver.


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We're all aware that people who can afford thempurchase former warbirds which have outlived their


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military usefulness- and convert them to civil aviation birds.That s why there are organizations like Warbirdsof America, the Confederate Air Force, and othergroups dedicated to preserving and flying formermilitary types.Just before America entered World War Two therewas a switch, which saw the U .S. military servicesbuying civil aircraft to convert to war birds.

One of the civil aircraft types drafted into militaryservice was the four-place Beechcraft Model 17, aSingle-engine tail-dragger biplane, called the Staggerwing because of the negative stagger of its wings.The Staggerwing first flew in 1932. When production ceased in 1948, well over 400 had been built.Most of the variants in the Staggerwing Model 17 hadto do with engine changes. The airframe remainedvirtually the same in all versions, until 1945 when theG17S five-place model was put into produdion .

Initial produdion versions were the 17R poweredwith a 420 hp Whirlwind, and the A17F powered witha 700 hp Cyclone. Both models had a fixed undercarriage and wheel pants.

First version with retradable landing gear was theB17L, powered with a 225 hp Jacobs. Later versions,all equipped with 285 hp Jacobs power plants, werethe B17B, C17B, C17L, CI7R, E17B and E17L.

Other variants were the F17D with a 330 hp Jacobs,D17A with a 350 hp Whirlwind, D17R with a 450 hpWhirlwind, and D17S with a 450 hp Wasp Junior en gine.First Staggerwing to go into uniform was a C17Rmodel. In 1936 the U.S. Navy bought one for use as apersonnel transport.In 1939; Beech entered a D17S in an Army competition for a light personnel transport. It won, and a contract was issued for constru ction of three prototypes,to be designated YC-43; (Y for evaluation testing).These aircraft subsequently were deSignated UC-43(U for utility) and assigned to Air Attache offices. Thatsame year, the U .S. Navy purchased seven D17S Beechcrafts and designated them GB-l so They were assignedto Naval Air Stations as utility personnel transports.Also in 1939, one model D17Awent to the Braziliannavy. The records do not indicate whether this wasan outright purchase by Brazil, or was an early lendlease airplane.

Serious production of Beechcrafts for the U.S.Army and Navy began in 1941 . Mostly, the Model 17'swhich went into uniform were the D17S version.

Glen McNabb s 0-77 from Jasper Tennessee provides a good example of a Slaggerwing n warpainl.

They were used in the military for liaison, transport and communications. A total of 207 went to theU.S. Army Air Force as UC-43's, and 63 went to theNavy as GB's.

While some of these went to England, China, Braziland other countries under lend-lease, most of themremained in the U.S. Army and Navy se rvice duringthe war.At the end of the war in 1945, most of the USAAFUC-43's were sold as surplus. The Navy kept theirGB's in service until as late as 1948.

The Staggerwing had a maximum speed of 205mph, a maximum cruising speed of 198 mph at 10,000feet, and an initial climb rate of 1400 fpm.Range was 1400 miles . Empty weight was 2800pounds, loaded weight 4250 pounds. Wingspan was32 feet, length 25 feet nine inches. Height from thedeck was nine feet.

Many former military transport aircraft- the Staggerwings among them - were turned over to the(then) Civil Aeronautics Administration, which latersold them as surplus.

Beginning in '1945, Beechcrafttion of a five-place c ivil version,Staggerwing production ended inthese G17S models were built.About 250 Staggerwings are on

went into producthe G17S. Before1948, some 90 of

the U.s. Civil Reg-ister today, nearly half of them in current license.Most of them are D17S models with 450 hp Pratt &Whitney engines. Most of them were in uniform inWWILOther civil ai rcrdt drafted into military serviceduring the war, to name a few, were the L-type (liaison)Cubs, large transports, and big flying boats.

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Restoration Tips: stopped, key a transmitter and check the ammeter for


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Radio Installations in C-170 s andther Classics

(reprinted from The 170 News)By Do n Lan g fo rd391 5 Booklin e Circle

Hunt svill e Alabam a 35810Most 170's have had a radio change since that daylong ago when they rolled off Clyde Cessna's production line. If the radio installation was done well,many years shou Id pass before the installation needsto be looked at again. For those 170's with originalgear, it's about time to take a serious look at the wiring, antennas and switches hooked to that radio, andit may be that trusty old coffee grinder is not goingto pot after all.Good radio shops will tell you about 70% of allradio problems are actuall y installation problems andcause many hours of unnecessary hunting for gremlins on the bench. Poor installation jobs can account

for poor performance and many of the new populargeneral aviation radios have gained a bad reputationwhich is not really the radio 's fault. One guy will claimexcellent results with a radio and his buddy with thesame model claims a real lemon.Let's start with the voltage re gulator . Our aircraftrad ios operat e off 13.75 volts. A one volt drop cancause an older tube transmitter to put out only hal fas much power as it should. If power is simi lar to theairspeed versus horsepower theorem, you have tosquare the power to double the range of a transmitter,therefore half power drops the range to l4 what youshou ld have . The receiver is affected similarl y butnot as bad since the receiver draws much less amper-age than the transmitter. Check the voltage outputof the regulator with varying loads and R.P.M. settingsto see where your voltage starts to drop and expectpoorer rad io performance when the voltage is lessthan 13.75 volts.The generator supplies us with that additionalvoltage and current needed so its the next item tolook at Most of our 170's have 25 amp or 35 amp gen-erators (rated 20 and 30 amps), hardly enough to han-dle lights and a couple of tube type radios. Checkinto the possibility of going to a 50 amp generator ifthe sum total of your electrical load is more than 80%of the output of your generator. For an approximateload rating, tum on all electrical gear with the engine

current drain . Add 10% to the reading and divide byyour generator 's rated output. Also check the partnumbers of your voltage regulator to make sure itis the proper one for your ge nerator.The next step is your master switch, radio sw itchand radio fuse. If any corrosion has bu iIt up over theyears, resistance is being added between our magic13 .75 volts and the radio. As lit1le as one ohm in theline can cause a radio drawing one amp of current todrop one volt. We know the output of the regulator,now check the voltage at the input to the radio. If anoticeable difference occurs start cleaning those contacts.O lder radios were grounded to the airframe bythe case. Newer, transister models usually have aseparate ground wire from the connector and shouldbe fastened securely to the case or other so lid airframe point.Next stop is the mike and phone jacks. It 's a surebet there is a coating of corrosion and dirt film on thecontacts. Frequent insertion of the plugs tends towipe these points clean but a visual check and clean-ing is well worth the trouble. TV tuner cleaner or arubber eraser work well. Make sure the contacts havegood pressure on the jack.Speakers deteriorate over the years . Ten years isa good replacement time. Look for a replacementspeaker with a good, heavy magnet. Hi-fi speakersare not good. We are looking for good voice intelligibility in a noi sy cabin. Mobile radio shops some-times have a good selection. Connecting radio speakeroutputs together can cause a degradation to the speak-er output. Some radios just don t mix well. See yourtrusty radio shop if you suspect this.Antennas cou ld fill a book. First, the VOR antenna,two rods shaped in a vee, or the popular flying wingstyle need a balun, an odd conglomeration of coaxialcable. Check the connections for signs of fraying,broken strands, corrosion or swelling of the insulation which indicates water has gotten into the cable.The tail mounted antenna is especially susceptibleto vibration and water. Most tail mounted antennashave a bulkhead connector at the base of the stabi-lizers where the coax enters the fuse lage. Check forthe same symptoms as above.Better quality coax is available now than in the50's so consider replacing runs that look especiallybad. Sharp bends and kinks are a no-no . Heat cancause the center conductor to move closer to theshield in spots causing symptoms a technician willpull h s hair out trying to find.

Thi s cl ean 17 Bbelon gs lO JohnW. Reeves of Liberty-ville '" inoi s.

The Communications antennas are verticallymounted and depend on the airframe fo r a groundplane . A good ground at the antenna base is impera-tive. The newer blade antennas can be coated at thebase with an alodine solution (your radio shop shouldhave some) to improve and retain surface conductivityof the antenna base to airp lane skin. Antennas shou ldbe no closer than 15 to each other to prevent anyinteraction. Never paint or wax an antenna.

D.M.E. and transponder antennas are mounted onthe underside as they are very sens itive to anythingin their path to the ground station (i.e.; gear legs,steps). These two antennas must be kept very clean,which should be part of every preflight. Glides lopeantennas on a 170 are usually the type that mountsin the upper windshield area, or a sp litter that makesuse of the VOR antenna. Both types are quite ade-qu ate . Propeller R.P.M. can cause a fluctuation ofthe glideslope needle, just change the R.P.M. slightly.

ADF antennas are not as susceptible to dirt andoil but interact greatly with the aircraft skin and electri-cal wiring. Have ADF problems? Try various combina-tions of electrical loads and R.P.M. settings to trackdown installation problems.Noise can be a real headache . Two sources aremost common; the antenna system and the powersupply lines. Fi Iters and sh ielded power wires canhelp. The RF noise shows up as wavy VOR and ADFneedles, odd squelch settings. It s time for an expertwhen dealing with RF noise.The one thing that can help a repairman most isdetailed symptoms. Make notes of anything that mightbe a clue when a problem arises in a piece of gear.There's a good possibility it's not in the radio at allbut some completely unsuspecting part of the insta l-lation. Good radioing, and see you at the convention.

5

Calendar of Events


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OCTOBER 5-8 - HARLINGEN , TEXAS- Confede rate Air Force AirShow '78. Contact CAF Public Affairs, Box 2443, Harlingen, Texas.5121428-45 .

OCTOBER 7-8 - REDDING, CALIFORNIA- Oktoberfest at ReddingSky Ranch, sponso red by EAA Chapter 157. Contact Curly Medina916/241-7737 .

OCT OBER 13 -1 5 - Tulsa EAA-AAA-IAC Fly-In , Tahlequah, Oklahoma . Contact Larry Brown, Brown Aviation , P.O . Box 51206,Tulsa,OK 74151.918/835 7663.OCTOBER 21-22 - MARANA, ARIZONA- Seventh annual Copperstate EAA Fly-In at Marana Air Park . Awards for homebuilts ,antiques, classics and warbirds. Contact Fred Feemster, Box 12307,Tucson,Arizona 85732.602/299'2723.OCTOBER 28 - His and Hers Air Race , Salinas, California, entrykitsavailable for $2 starting July 15. Contact Salinas His and Hers AirRace, clo Rosemary Rice, 1158 San Fernando Drive, Salinas,CA93901.NOVEMBER 18-19 '- M IAM I, FLORIDA- Antique, Classic and Custom Built Fly-In at the third annual Harvest- A Country Fair,sponsored by the Historical Association of Southern Florida, atthe Dade County Youth Fairground, CoralWay at 112th Avenue.Awards given for antique, classic and custom built aircraft. Contact Capt. Ken Ufland of the Civil Air Patrol, office(305) 552-3106,home after 6: 00 p.m. (305) 251-5927, or Mary Dodd Russell, Harvest Coordinator, at the Historical Museum, 3280 S. Miami Avenue, BuildingB.,Miami , FL 33129:JANUARY 21 -27 - Sun ' N Fun the biggest fly-in inthe southeastand the second biggest in the nation . It's aful l week of southernhospitality and flying fun: daily aerial demonstrations; fly-bys ofantique, classic, homebuilt and warbird aircraft; forums, exhibitsand static displays; parties and corn roasts; big new food concession; country store fo r campers in our shady campsites.Makemotel reservations e r ly our free information booklet has acomplete listof accommodations. Write to Sun 'N Fun , P.O. Box3538,Lakeland,Florida33802.

Do you know of a Beechcraft staggerwing that is fl ying,being restored, or in a basket? If so then get in touch withTom Lempicke of Route 1, Box 5190 St. Cloud, Florida32769 . Under the direction of the staggerwing MuseumFoundation he is revising the book STAGGERWING,andwould like to have ANY information on ANY stagger-wing, ANYwhere. The book should be published in 1979and will feature information on ownership, condition andloca tion of each aircraft built.

CLASSIFIED ADS

Wanted to replace fire loss one 1973 Oshkosh patch. I. W.Stephenson, EAA 82203, P. O. Box 202, Menominee, Michigan 49858USA.1918 Standard JI-Hisso Powered, trophy winner. Niels Sorensen, 389& Idaho Circle No. , Minneapolis, MN 55427. 612537-0448.

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISIONMEMBERSHIP DRIVEWIN*Apairof Antique Gogglesby persuading 5people toOin .er A Leather Flying Helmet

when you get 10people tosign up.- then start over and win again A free five year member

ship in the Antique/ClassicD ivi sion if you sponso rthemost new members in1978.

ToQualify :Write your nameandmembershipnumberonthebackof themembe rshi p 'b lankswe've beenprovidin ginTHEVINTAGE AIRPLANE. Headquarters wi llkeep sco re_

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