Vintage Airplane - Sep 1974

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Sep 1974

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(Photo y Ted KostonTHE PRESIDENT'S PAGEBy E E "B uck" HilbertPresident, Antique-Classic Division

TH 1974 ONVENTION IS HISTORY!Numerically it was a sensation, a success beyond all conception. Our Antiques numbered173 - our Classics 512. This is more than fifty percent of the total (1345) attending. s there anydoubt the Antiques and Oassics have found a home?Each year we learn something. We gain experience. We make new vows. t is sometimesdifficult to enact all the ideas, to make good the vows, but we are going to try. There will be adebriefing meeting of all the chairmen and Division heads in the months ahead and this is whereyou come in.

I know what I saw. Maybe you saw more than I did. Maybe you have a suggestion that willbenefit and influence the planning of next years Convention. I want that suggestion. I needthat suggestion. Maybe you couldn t help with the nail bending or parking or forums, but nowis your opportunity to help. Put those comments in writing and get them to me. Now whilethey are fresh in your mind. Critique us, and then offer your suggestions for improvement.

Remember though that we had some very earnest, hard workers in there this year. The gangwho helped make our Antique Barn habitable the dog faces who worked so hard to stave


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~ I b f AP l ~ f

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 9 SEPTEM ER 1974T BLE OF CONTENTS

A Vintage View of Oshkosh . Jack Cox , . . . . 4Antique Grand Champion Winner . ill Hodges . . . . . . 10Reminiscing With Big Nick . Nick Rezich . 12Eat Your Hearts Out , Antiquers! Gar Williams . . 17Old Lady Wind-In-The-Face . . . Lee S. Thomas . . . . . . 20"ASFTRSOABP" . AI Kelch . . . . 21Around The Antique-Classic World . . . 23ON THE COVER . 1974 Grand Champion Fairchild. BACK COVER . J Robert Pratt s Bellanca 14-19.Photo by Ted Koston Photo by Ted Koston

EDITORIAL STAFFPub lishe r - Paul H. Poberezny Editor - Jack CoxAssistant Ed itor - Gene Chase Assistant Editor - Golda CoxANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENTE. E. HILBERT J. R. NIELANDER . JR .8102 LEECH RD . P O. BOX 2464UNION . ILLINOIS 60180 FT . LAUDERDALE . FLA . 33303

SECRETARY TREASURERRICHARD WAGNER GAR W. WILLIAMS , JRBOX 181 9 S 135 AERO DR. , RT . 1LYONS W IS . 53148 NAPERVILLE , ILL 60540

DIRECTORS

EVANDER BRITT JIM HORNE MORTON LESTER KELLY VIETSP. O. Box 458 3850 Coronation Rd . P. O. Box 3747 RR 1, Box 151


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VINT GE

(Photo y Ted Kaston)President uck Hilbert, standing, with Dale Crites and his Curtiss in front of the new Antique-ClassicHeadquarters building. That s the forums tent in the left background.~U { UTHE NUMBERS G ME

685 aircraft were officially registered for judging atOshkosh 74 under the Vintage classification. 512 of thesewere Classics , civil aircraft of any nation built between1946 and 1954; the remaining 173 were Antiques; civil aircraft built before 1946. These were record numbers forail EAA fly-in and since this meet is far and away thelargest of its kind ever staged anywhere and at anytime,we can safely assume that this year s crop of Vintage aircraft was also the largest in history.

The .secon.d most numerous type was the .Cessna 12 1140 senes With 52 examples registered. Third was theLuscombe 8 series with 47 . bearing in mind that thistotal includes both pre-war antique and post-war classicmodels. Fourth was the Aeronca 7 series, the 01 Champ,with 45. And all the way down in fifth place was WilliamPiper's J-3 with 41 mostly solid yellow with a black lightning stroke down the sides examples on hand. The 41Cubs also represent a combining of Antique and Classicnumbers.

If you are old enough to remember the late 40s and most


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Grand Champion Classic - a highly polished Swift owned by Ed Gorny of Livermore, California.

through your Aero Digests or other aviation magazinesof the 1930s and see how many articles by and references toFred Weick you uncover. In addition to his appearance atKelly Viets' Ercoupe forum, Fred delivered a very significant paper on the seemingly perpetual stalUspin problemat the main EAA forums area. This paper will be printedin SPORT AVIATION later in the year.

J R Nielander and all those who participated in theAntique-Classic Forum program are to be highly com-mended . This educational aspect of the fly-in is all-important. I t is the catalyst that triggers the enthusiasm necessary for an EAAer to go out scouring the countryside for

Photo by Dick Stouffer

The Classic judging committee was co-chaired by JimGorman of Mansfield, Ohio and Morton Lester of Martinsville, Virginia, ably assisted by John Engles of Lakeland, Florida; John Parish of Tullahoma, Tennessee; DubYarbrough also of Tullahoma; George York of Mansfield,Ohio; Warren Hall of Burlington, North Carolina; HarmonDickerson of St. Louis; Dale Woffard of Ashland, Ohioand Rod Spanier of Riviera Beach, Florida.

The decisions of these teams of astute authorities onancient aeronautica are as follows:

NTIQUE W RDS


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(Photo by Ted Kaston)Right - heClassic Judge s Committee. Back row, left toright: Harmon Dickerson, Jim Gorman and Morton Lester, Co-Chairmen, Warren Hall and Rod Spanier. Frontrow, left to right: John Engles, John Parish , Dale Woffard , George York and Dub Yarbrough.

BEST CANADIAN ANTIQUE IN ATTENDANCE - Father John MacGillivray, Petawawa, Ontario for his Miles Hawk, CF-NXT.BEST ANTIQUE REPLICA - Dale Crites , Waukesha . Wisconsi nfor his 1911 Curtiss Pusher, N-1911D.BEST DART - Art Bishop, Norton, Ohio for his Dart GC, NC-31697.BEST FAIRCHILD - Claude Gray, Northridge , California for h isFairchild F24W, N-81386.BEST HOWARD - John Turgyan , Trenton , New Jersey for hisHoward DGA-15P, NC-95462.

(Photo by Ted Koston)Left - The Antique Judges Committee. Left to right :Kelly Viets, Doug Rounds, Evander Britt, Chairman, PeteCovington and Dusty Rhodes.

CL SSIC W RDSGRAND CHAMPION - Edmund Gorny , Livermore, California for

Swift GC-1B, N-2459B.RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION - Dave Hamilton, Anderson , Indi-ana for Piper J-3 N-42621 .BEST CLASS I CLASSIC - Richard Krumbine , Lebanon, Pennsylvania for his Taylorcraft, N-6442N.BEST CLASS II CLASSIC': Dutch Brafford . Lima, Ohio for his Cessna


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(Photo by Dick Stoufer)Above - A portion of the Classic display area - Aeroncasand Pipers, in fact. There were rows and rows and rowslike this

(Photo by Lee Fray)Right - Fred Weick of Vero Beach, Florida and the Er-coupe he designed over three decades ago - both arestill going strong

BEST LUSCOMBE 8 SERIES - William Nichols Beloit Wisconsin forN-2126B.BEST MEYERS - E R Curley Broyles Tullahoma Tennessee forN-34360.BEST NAVION - Bruce Hallock Austin Texas for N-5202K.BEST PIPER CUB - A Garrison Cantonvi lle Maryland 10r N-20280.BEST PIPER - ALL OTHER - Ray Lemmon Erie Pennsylvania forPA-12 N-4285M.BEST STINSON 1 8 Ellie Clark Eaton Rapids M ichigan for N-9562K.BEST SWIFT - Mark Holliday Hastings Minnesota for N-80760.BEST TAYLORCRAFT - Doug and Ruth Anderson Jackson Michi-gan for N-95957.SPECIAL WORKMANSHIP AWARD - Tom and Lela Munden Newhall California for their Stinson 108 N-8083K.

74 IMPROVEMENTS

and Classics. The result was a much more compact parking area located much closer to the center of fly-in activities . The area will be improved each year so as to make yourstay at Oshkosh more enjoyable as each fly-in rolls around.Ollie s Woods proved to be quite popular this year. OnSaturday evening President Buck hosted a big AntiqueClassic party and a number of smaller groups had cookouts and parties there during the week. This grove of treesis right in the center of the Antique-Classic area, so is aconvenient place to stop for a rest in the shade on thosehot afternoons while one is tromping around trying to seeall the aircraft.


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(Photo by Ted Kaston)Right Fred Berg s fine re-production of a Fokker DVII.

(Photo by Dick StoufferCharlotte Parish s beautiful Stearman N2S S.


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Photo by ick Stouffer)

NTIQUE GR ND CHAMPIONWINNERy ill Hodges

The EAA International Convention and Fly-In GrandChampion Antique for 1974 s a very deserving and outstanding aircraft - a Fairchild 24R46A. Proud owners ofN-77661, which carries Serial Number 361, are Dick Buck,Jud Gudehous and Tom Leonhardt of Lambertville, Michigan.

The owners had been looking for a 4-place airplane anddiscovered their Fairchild sitting neglected on an airport

What about the background on the owners of this year'sGrand Champ?Richard L Dick Buck (EAA 85184) was a radar operator in the U. S. Navy during World War II and was asSigned to a Destroyer Escort. After the war he took flighttraining under the G. 1 Bill and soloed in a Piper J-3 Cubin 1949. Dick owned and flew a Cessna 140A, that he hadrefinished himself, prior to going into partnership on the


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it before becoming involved with the Fairchild. Tom is astructural engineer and like Jud owns his own firm.In inquiring about their trip to the Fly-In this year Iasked if it were routine or adverturesome. The answerwas routine other than they did have to puddle jump fromone airport to another due to the bad weather around Chicago at the time.Oh, yes the time of restoration took until June of 1974to complete - 3 years and 9 months.

SPECIFIC TIONSWing Span .. . . . .. . .. .. .. . . 36 ft . 4 in.Length . .. . . . 26 t . 0 in.Height . . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . . . .. .. 7 ft . 7V in.

Wing Area . . . . . . 193.3 sq . ft.Power Loading .. .. .. . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . 12.3 Ib./hpWing Loading . .. .. . . . . . 12.2 Ib./sq . ft .Empty Weight . . . .. .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. . 1613 Ibs.Useful Load . .. . . .. . 949 Ibs.Gross Weight . .. .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. 2562 Ibs.Fuel .. . .. . . .. . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . .. . 6 gals.Oil . . .. . .. .. . . . . . .. . 4.1 gals.Maximum Speed . .. .. .. . .. . .. . 133 mphCruising Speed . . .. .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .. 118 mphLanding Speed . . .. . . . . 57 mphService Ceiling . .. .. . . 14,000 ft.Rate of Climb . . . . . .. . .. 560 ft ./min .Cruising Range . 620 miles

Photo y Ted Koston)Above - The 24 and its ancestor, the Fairchild .


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MY 35 YEAR LOVE AFFAIRBefore I get carried away with my love affair I wouldlike to take this opportunity to thank you all for the trea

sures of mail that have reached me since the publication ofof the Howard story.The following letter is most precious and I felt it shouldbe shared by everyone.

Los Angeles, CaliforniaAugust 22 , 1974

Dear Nick,Thank you for sending me a copy of the story - article- about us and our aeroplanes. You told it like it was

and made it very interesting.I will not argue with you about the Howards beingone of the greatest Do you know that there are severalof them out here still flying. As a matter of fact, at onetime there was a Howard Club - all members owned and.flew the Howard.Again, thank you very much for everything you wroteand feel. Best personal regards,

REMINISCING WIT BIG NICKNick Rezich

4213 Centerville RdRockford III 61102

even with them. Maybe by no w you all will understandwhy some misspelled names sneak inThis past June I made a 5 day whirlwind tour of California visiting some old Howard Aircraft buddies andfamily friends . My first stop was the most significant andthe highlight of my trip. Sunday morning, June 9 dawnedsunny and warm in Frisco where I picked up a rental carfor my tour to L.A. An hour and a half out of Frisco I pulledinto the Palo Alto Airport where I met Larry Low, a gungho EAAer and antiquer, whom I.had never met before butknew well from our letter exchanges . . .

Standing in front of his hangar, we exchanged familyintroductions - all but one, the one behind the hangardoors . I was really getting antsy and it showed as I keptpushing on the locked doors. Larry finally got the messageand we opened the doors. There she stood, my love - amajestic lady in all her pomp and glory. The last time Iheld her in my hand was almost 30 years ago to the day.With moist eyes, I walked up and laid a very gentle handon the door latch and introduced my wife of 23 years andmother of 3 to my first love affair, a Culver Cadet which Ibought new 34 years ago, NC 20926, Serial Number 106Larry Low has her dressed up in the latest fashion,urethane paint, tinted one piece windshield, carpeting,starter, generator, nav-com , ELT, chrome gear, landing,


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cockpit check, then we headed for my home back in ChiThe machines of '39 all sported round engines or the cago. During the drive Art explained the gear details andnew flat opposed 4s, all air cooled. Prices ranged from$990.00 for the Cub to $52,000.00 for th e executive Lock the flight characteristics. By the time we reached home Iheed 12. The most advanced airplane was on the drawingboards in a small plant located in Columbus, Ohio.The genius behind the slide rule was AI Mooney whowas known to many in the industry as a very bright, ingenious engineer.When Al Mooney announced he was building a 2-placeairplane with retractable gear that would cruise at 120 mph,top 140 mph, have a service ceiling of 17,000 feet, a cruising range of 1050 miles with a 15 ga llon aux tank andall this while powered by only 75 h. p. and selling for under$3000.00, he lifted many eyebrows - including mineI anxiously to see what this new design ofMooney's would 10 -k like. I went to the Columbus , Ohioplant on the prete se of buying a Dart hoping to get aglimpse of the new ulver. t didn't work. After two daysall I got was a lot o f rumors and no peek-a-boo. Before Ileft, I made a deal with a friend of mine to send me a snap-shop of the prototype as soon as it was rolled out of assembly.With the coming of fall and winter came my photoWOW When I saw what that little jewel looked like, Imade up my mind right th en and th ere - I had to haveone I ordered one without even having a ride in one. Theprice was $2475.00. I received the 6th one built, SerialNumber 106, NC 20926. A blue and silver paint job wasstock.The late Art Carnahan of Monocoach fame was the areadealer and he delivered my new Culver as far as Joliet, Illinois where the snow stopped him. I drove in a snow stormto Joliet to pick up Art and view my new jewel There shesat in front of the hangar like a Thompson racer waitingfor the starter's flag to dropI do n' t think I knew what the word thrilled meantuntil that cold evening in Joliet when I opened the cabindoor and tried that Culver on for size. Art gave me a fast

was ready for the racesTo knock off ~ h e chilI of the drive, my mother pouredus some of our best h o m ~ m d e wine which was followed. by a fiesta supper. After supper and a gallon of wine later,I stuffed Art's pockets with $2000.00 in fives, tens , andtwenties and put him on a train for the trip back to Bloomington, lliinois, his home town .

My first flight in the new Cadet was two weeks later,when the weather cleared. Up to that time, I had been flying Travel Airs, Pitcairns , a Laird, Bellancas, Stinsons,Porterfields, Rearwins, Cubs, Howards , etc., and fromwhat Art told me none of the above flew like the Cadet .My brother helped me roll it out of the hangar, pre-flightit and cranked me .As I taxied out, I tried to remember everything Arthad told me about the Cadet's handling. t felt good andsolid while taxiing and when I got to the runway, I wasready. I set the tab at zero and poured the coal on. Thetake-off was smooth and straighI le ft the pattern and started to climb to altitude forsome turns and stalls. n the next 20 seconds I learnedall about the Culver's sensitive flippers . I reached up totrim it for climb so I could concentrate on the gear retraction . Well When I gave the trim handle the usualhusky crank, all hell broke loose. The nose shot up rpushed forward on the stick and went up against the roof. I pulled ~ c k and r was pushed a foot down into thecushion A90ther push forward back on the roof rfinally got the message and stabilized and started FLYINC it.I left the gear down and climbed to 3,000 feet where Ipracticed medium and steep turns, slow flight and somestalls. The more I flew it, the better I liked it. Now, Itrimmed it for hands off and cycled the gear a few times.All went well, so I headed for Willie Howell's airport on_ (Courtesy Nick Rezich)Big Nick s Culver Cadet at Howell Airport (on the south side of Chicago) when the racy little twoseater w s brand spanking new. Notice the ground adjustable Freedman-Burnham prop
http:///reader/full/52,000.00http:///reader/full/52,000.00http:///reader/full/52,000.00http:///reader/full/52,000.00


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the south side of Chicago where I was to keep it. As theairport came into sight, I dropped the nose and let it boil .I went over the office indicating 170 mph and this broughteveryone out, so, I did it again, followed by a steep, climbing tum. I was really getting my jolliesI dropped the gear, checked the lock and started in toland on the 1800 feet of solid runway the Cub's were using.With that gang out there watching, I couldn't afford togoof the first landing. I dragged it in and put it on threepoint, using about 1200 feet. The roll out was like a Cub . Itaxied in, shut down and stepped out the hero of theairport I had the fastest, newest, cleanest, most advancedairplane on the airport.I flew that little dude all over the country until I wentinto the service in June of 1944. My biggest maintenancebill was for wax. I would wax it every weekend before flying it .

I had no intention of selling th e Cadet when I went intoservice. I checked Willie Howell out in it and told him togive rides in it until I returned. I was home on furloughafter completing my basic training when I received a phonecall from a fellow from Wellington , Kansas. He informedme he was in town to buy my Cadet. I laughed and toldhim no way - not for sale, and that ended that Ithought.

The following Sunday, I was out to the airport flyingthe bird when this same fellow from Kansas pulls in witha cab and announces he's come to pick up the Cadet. Wewent through the whole scene again, only this time headded the green. He started peeling off the Big Ones andwhen he had $3500.00 laying there, I changed my mindand said, O.K . it's yours " He still had a fist full leftand was willing to part with it.I asked him if he wanted to go through the log booksand look the plane over. He answered, "Hell, I know thisairplane as well as you do " I had raced this airplane andnever lost to anyone, thanks to the help of Sludge Doyleand his Offy factory . I had a real hot rod - I was puttingout 90 h.p . with a super thin Freedman-Burnham prop .That is why this fellow knew all about my Cadet - he hadkept track of it and wanted it for the speed.

He turned to Willie and said, "Fill it up. He paid thegas bill, threw his bag in the back and said, Give me acrank. I cranked him up and went to the cockpit to shakehis hand and say goodbye. As I reached in he handed mea twenty and told me to go have a drink. He took off to thewest and that was the last I saw of NC 20926 until June of1974.After I returned from the California visit I bragged somuch about myoId Cadet that my son Jim sold his beautiful J-3 Cub that he soloed in and bought a Culver Cadet.Now it will be a battle around our house trying to keep the01 man out of the kid's airplane oh, well, that's loveMy favorite story about the Cadet is a chapter in avia

gear, machette, gun and ammunition, two gallons of water,15 pounds of beef jerky, plus personal luggage consistingof toilet articles, socks, underwear and cameras yesall that went into the Cadet Oh yes I almost forgot both Dr. Smith and Dr. Lorenz wore glasses so a sparepair of each was also carried.

Now get out your world atlas and ruler and follow thislittle jewel. The first stop out of Frisco was San Diego fortheir clearance. The Twerp was cleared the same as asteamship - Port Bill of Health, Cargo Manifest, etc. Thepassenger list was eliminated by signing Dr. Lorenz on asa crew member. The next stop, Hermosillo, Mexico, wherethey spent the night.

Next morning it was on to Mazatlan. They coveredthat leg of 590 miles on 17 gal lons of gas. Guadalajarawas made by nightfall. They spent 2 /da ys each in MexicoCity, Guatemala City and Managua, Nicaragua and thenflew on to David, Panama. The next morning after landing there, they phoned (at 7:00 A.M.) for permission to enter the Panama Canal Zone. They received instructionson how to enter the Zone and were given a very explicitroute to fly into France Field.

t was good that they flew as instructed as they weremet at the channel by interceptors and were guided intoFrance Field, landing at 9:30 A.M. There they were checkedthoroughly and were granted permission to fly withoutcameras over any part of the Zone. They left Panama at2:00 P.M. and landed at Turbo, Columbia at 4:30 P.M.At Turbo they landed at an emergency field washedby the spray of the Gulf of Uraba and protected from hightides by a dike. The only building was a mission where theyspent the night as guests of the Catholic Fathers. Supperthat night consisted of two cans of sausages, crackers andbeer. They did not get much sleep because half the nightwas spent checking the tie-downs on the Twerp as araging storm was in progress.

The rain belt extends the length of the continent andthe doctor's concern now was to get to Cali, Columbia,over 300 miles of the worst jungle in South America wherethere was, at least, a hangar for the Twerp . With noweather report from Cali they took off at 10:00 A.M. thenext morning, following the Atrato River until it disappeared below the cloud layer they were forced to overflyto clear the fast rising Andes ahead of them. After 5 hoursthey broke out and followed a railroad to a narrow notchin the Andes to Cali.

The next leg was to Quito, Ecuador. When the Twerpleft Cali, the pilots had been warned not to land outsideof military fields. To enforce the warning, the Cadet wasescorted to the border.

At Quito the airport was fogged in, so they flew onIFR, VFR, IFR, VFR . . . with compass and altimeter astheir only means of successfully threading their waythrough narrow canyons in a blinding rain. They pushed


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NCo92

Courtesy Nick Rezich)Nick and a friend indulging in a little clowning for the photographer he insignia is that of the IllinoisState Militia. Nick once flew missions for the Militia into flood ravaged downstate Illinois, landingon roads to deliver blood to hospitals.

to locate the source of the leak, but failed to find it. Theytightened everything in sight and took off for Vallenar,site of a Pan American emergency strip, where they spentthe night.The following morning saw further attempts to stop theoil leak and a take-off for Santiago. There, Pan Americanmechanics washed down the engine and found the leak it was coming from a crack in the oil radiator. Themechanics soldered the crack and by noon the nextday the Cadet was off for Mendoza, Argentina .This short leg of only about 150 miles between Santiago and Mendoza would be the ultimate test of theCulver's performance for it involved crossing the verybackbone of the Andes, past 23,834 feet peak of Aconcagua,tallest mountain in South America, and through UspallataPass. This involved the little over-grossed Cadet climbingto 17,000 feet for safe passage through the pass. The Uspallata is probably the windiest and roughest pass in the world- test balloons have recorded winds to 200 mph.Smith and Lorenz received a weather report from PanAm that the pass was clear but winds up to 50 mph wereblowing and were predicted to increase even more. Theywere advised not to go . The two were anxious to try it,

morning they were off for Porto Alegre where they filledup on gas and water and went on to Rio . There, they againhad the oil radiator soldered and, as an added precaution,wired the U.S.A. for a new one to be air expressed to Para,Brazil.Leaving Rio, they headed into the state of Bahia. Riohad wired ahead for a supply of gas and at their next stop,a tanker with 350 gallons of gas was waiting. When theyordered 30 gallons, the attendant refused saying the gaswas for a Pan Am airliner. Smith and Lorenz tried to explain that the fuel was for the Twerp but all the guy woulddo was shout, Pan American Pan American " No one everheard of a light plane being able to fly from Rio into Bahiaand only needing 30 gallons of gasBy now the oil radiator had recilly developed a superbad leak - and there were no facilities to fix it. The flyingdentis ts took off anyway, oil leak and all. Two hours outover Pernambuco state at 6500 feet - over the jungle - theengine started to go . Twenty minutes later it froze . Theocean was too distant, so the doctor headed for the jungleand its head hunters. Frantically looking for a clearing, theyspotted a sand bar in the distance that looked promisingand headed for it, wheels up for max glide. As they ap


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bar in South America - a tribute to a great airplane, theCulver Cadet.Up to th e point of th e fo rced landing th e doctors hadcovered some 12,000 miles, averag ing 30 miles to a ga llonand at a total flying cost of $300.00HEYPIPER, BEE CH, CESSNA C A N YOU TOP THATON 75 HORSEPOWER?? PROGRESS? BAHAl Mooney . . . genius How about you Culver own ers in th e Bay area trying tosee if th ese two fine pilots are s till around and invite themto th e next Culver Club ge t toge ther. I promise two most

interes ting speakers. n fact, I d like to see some sort ofrecognit ion for these two men maybe in the form of aplaque. I would be w ill ing to throw in 20 bucks toward t -how about it, Culver Own ers?Remember, th ere are those that have and those th athaven ' t . . . ye t - Big Nick(Editor s Note: If Big Nick has any of you Culver enthusi-asts stirred up as a result of his article, you might want tojoin the Culver Club. Write : International Culver CadetClub, c/o Vic Schroeder, P. O. Box 22125, Dallas, Texas75222 for further information.)

(Courtesy Nick Rezich)Big Nick poses in front of his Culver and a friend does likewise with his Monocoupe 90A in the back-ground. All the photos are from the 1940-44 era .


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(Photo by Gar Williams)Left Mel Hef/inger of Redondo Beach, Californiarestored this beautiful Harlow and has won a room-ful of trophies with it in the past couple of years.

(Photo by Gar Williams)Above Watsonville s Grand Champion award for1974 went to Jim Ricklefs of San Carlos, Californiafor this beautifully restored S.P.A.D. VII.

(Photo by Gar Williams)Ben Con aster of Huntington Beach , alifornia getssome wing walking assistance to the runway for hisFokker Dr. I Triplane.E T YOUR HE RTS OUT, ANTIQUERS

By Gar Williams9 S 135 Aero Dr. Rt. 1Naperville, Illinois 60540

Watsonville - How can one convey the excitement,describe the setting, detail the airplanes, or give full justice to the hospitality without overusing adjectives likeFANTASTIC

grew slowly until the decision was reached for severalchapters of Antiquers to band together to support thegathering - the National West Coast fly-in. The restof the story is history - steady growth with an excellent


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Photo by Gar Williams)he Ryan line at Watsonville. You can see more Ryans

here than at the national events. Those Californians areguilty of a clear case of hoarding

In spite of the winds, the fly-bys continued and only onecase of a scraped wingtip was reported .Friday evening after all the activity on the flightlinequieted down, the Civil Air Patrol removed their "police"bonnets and donned white chefs hats for a CAP HangarFeed in the Armory - a short walk from the flightline.This little walk was rewarded with an inexpensive chickendinner sprinkled with the fellowship of the many antiquers in attendance . Following the dinner the exodus wasdirected to the Hotel Resetar and the "Early Birds" drinkfest.Activity along the flightline started shortly after sunrise the following morning with the takeoff and fly-bys ofChamps, Taylorcrafts and less quiet ships like a Mustangand a Hellcat. The early morning air was perfect for formation flying, low passes down the runway as well astrips along the beaches of Monterey Bay. Clear cool airwas the order of the day. Fly-bys - a ir show - f ly-byswhat a miserable way to spend a weekend

The Saturday night awards banquet was a real bust. Theusual happy hour began at 6 P.M. at the County Fairgrounds. Again the well organized approach was readilyapparent with a neat pattern of tables, decorations consisting of helium filled balloons with small gondolas simulating the popular hot air balloons and other table decorations in the motif of antique airplanes . The Armory wasquickly filled, the happy hour refreshments downed andthe buffet lines began for a delicious meal. Soon the awardstime came and members of both the Northern California

Photo by Gar Williams)This fine example of the ever popular Waco RNF is

Antique group and EAA Chapter 62 began the presentation of the many plaques and trophies . Somewhere alongthe way our attention was drawn to the main entrance in bounded three people clad ever so neatly in helmets ,goggles and . NOTHING ELSE In true California tradition Watsonville '74 was streaked by three beautifulyoung women Eat your hearts out, Antiquers.Once the insuing riot quieted down, the awards continued with additional presentations being made by PaulPoberezny from EAA Headquarters and Doug Roundsrepresenting the National AAA organization. The culmination of the awards program was the presentaton of theGrand Champion Trophy to Jim Ricklefs for his beautifulrestoration of an original SPAD.

Sunday again dawned clear and cool and by 7 A.M.the dew-drenched benches at the "Lumberjack" breakfast in Corralitos were being dried by the britches of manyhungry people . Set in the redwoods several miles northof the airport, the breakfast site alone was worth a longtrip to visi t

As with many weekend fly-ins, the Customs and Antiques started to depart early during the day, many notstaying for the fly-bys and air show. It was with greatreluctance and a tear in the eye that Bob Zilinsky and Icranked up and headed south towards San Diego, starting the 2200 mile trip home. Truly this was one fine weekend with many new friends left behind.For you who missed it - eat your heart out - anddon't miss it next year

MAJOR AWARDS - WATSONVILLE 74GRAND CHAMPION - SPAD VII, N-1916S, James

Ricklefs, San Carlos, California.MAYOR'S AWARD - Stearman C3R, NC-8828, JackGreiner, Boulder, Colorado .BEST HOMEBUILT - Starduster Too N-5464 ChuckTyler, Long Beach, California. , .,NATIONAL AAA AWARDS - Fox Moth DH-83, ZKASP, Myles Robertson, Takapuna, New Zealand; New

Standard N-155M, George Dray, Novato, California;Harlow PJC-2, N-18978, Mel Heflinger, Redondo Beach,California; Cessna Airmaster, N-25485, Gar Williams,Naperville, Illinois; Stearman N2S-2, N-68324, Gary andTerry Woy, San Jose, California; Porterfield, N-17029,John Innes, Studio City, California.


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(Photo by Robert F. Zilinsky)Irv Perlitch 's ord Tri-Motor.

(Photo by Robert F. Zilinsky)If a Ryan has to be modified . then let it look like this

Books for Buffsfrom HISTORIC AVIATIONo Amphibian The Story of TheLoening BiplanebyGrover LoeningComplete history of the " flyingshoehorns." Photos so good,

text so detailed and the book awork of art. You 'll have to have itfor your library. 10" x 10 ", 250photos.o Water Flying by Franklin T. Kurt' If you own a float plane or are just interested inIII water flying you will want this book. It's the firstZ all-inclusive book about flying boats , float planes,and amphibians. Covers operating techniquesand history of seaplanes. It is masteriully writtenby a former Grumman engineer from a lifetime oftesting, designing and instructing in water craft.100 photos, 15 draWings. $8 .95o The Ford Air Tours 1925-1931by Leslie FordenA complete story in text andIII photos of the seven crossZ country " Reliability Tours" Profusely illustrated, incorporatingmuch collateral material and aninteresting " whatever happened to ?" section in theback relating capsule histories a>.....f Tour participants. A must forthe enthusiasts reference library. 8V2X .o They Call Me Mr. Airshow

by Bill SweetMore than an autobiography ofMfl RS OWMr. Sweet, this book is a livelyaccount of Bill Sweet's association with the greats of the air coThe book is exciting, informative and in places riotously

show circuit from the 20 's on.tf2humorous. Once you start read LOing you won't be able to put itdown.o Cessna GuidebookMitch Mayborn and Bob Pickett

o$11.00 E.....oTHY C ll M N

. t$9.95o

(Photo by Robert F. Zilinsky)Ted Holman's American Eagle.

Complete like predecessor Stearman Guidebook . oContains photos of every single engine model Dbuilt through the Airmaster series and WW I IBobcat, three view drawings of the most significant versions, reprints of old advertising and com cplete serial listings for military Bobcats. Anyone owho has ever flown or admired Cessna will wantthis one.

U.S. Civil Aircraftby Joseph JuptnerThe antiquers bible . Encyclopedia of ATC planes giving acomplete description, history,production data, periormance,specifications with excellentphoto coverage. Coloriul narratives are woven throughout telling of successes , failures andlittle-known anecdotes. Eachvo'lume covers 100 ATC's.300 + photos & 300 pages.

$6.95

.....

tf2, oI . t..

X -----

Q)o Vol. 1, ATC #1 thru #100, 1927-29 $9.95 Do Vol. II, ATC #101 thru #200, 1929 $9.95o Vol. III,ATC #201 lhru #300, 1929-30 $9.95 Eo Vol. IV, ATC #301 thru #400, 1930-31 $9.95 Q)


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IN RETROSPECT

OL LADY WIND-IN-THE-FACEy Lee S ThomasP O ox 1166Pittsburg, Pennsylvania 15230

So she went to Ohio to learn to fly. The Depressionwas just barely started. Barr Peat had a little airport calledIssouden, in honor of the Lafayette Esquadrille (but theFrench wouldn't recognize the pronunciation). She soloedin a little over five hours, like it was in those days. AlLitzenberger (you recognize these old names) taught herin a Bird (smaller than a Laird, but a honey of a plane tofly). Melba Beard has a nest of Birds, even today, out inArizona, I hear.

Why do people do these things? Cliff Ball's pilot usedfield - it

and life, and aviation, were unstable, at Bettis, in thosedays. Ask Karl Voelter. Ask Kenny Sholter. (He first foundhis way to Bettis age about 12. As it turned out later, hecould fly anything.)

Her own love was her Monocoupe. I hear it's still flying, over in Ohio somewhere, and that's 35 years later, ormore. (It has a new paint job, though.) She took it downto Uniontown (there isn't any airfield at Uniontown, now),to tell the Rotary about the new self-starter. Everybodywent out to the field, to marvel. Wouldn't start. Had to be

"


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(Oshkosh Daily Northwestern Photo)ASFTRSOA8P(Translated: "AS SEEN FROM THE REAR SEAT OF A BIPLANE")

By AI Kelch7018 W onniewell Rd.Mequon , Wisconsin 53092

To Weldon Ropp, everyday is a holiday since he hasretired from 27 years of flying for National Airlines. Heflies that little 16E Travel Air and has the kind of fun weall dream of (a long trip in a bipe with no time scheduleand no flight plan, l gypsy). His home base is an antiqueairdrome in Delray Beach, Florida. There he has his homeand hangar on a mile long grass strip, along wi th severalother airplane buffs . There is no need for anyone of theseguys to ever go to Heaven - they re already there .

Willie, as most everyone calls him, decided to take thatlong trip this spring. He built a false floor for the frontcockpit and proceeded to pile it full of almost everythinghe owns - two suitcases of clothes, two boxes of spareparts, such as piston rings, exhaust valves, exhaust guides,intake valve and guides, rocker arms, gaskets, pliers, 1gallon of grease, a grease gun, several gal lons of Ma rvel

Friday, May 24, 1974Clanton - 8 :45 a.m. Starkvil le, Miss . -10 :20 a.m. 1 35 15.7 1 ql.Notes : Starkville has a grass field started many years ago. The son showed me

pictures of his dad 's Great Lakes with a Cirrus engine that he bought plusan Aeronca C-3. The 'Lakes , N-308Y, is still flying. Said they lost track of it afterit left Florida .Starkville - 10:55 a .m. Grenada - 11 :45 a.m. :55 8.7 0Grenada - 12 :10 p .m . Clarksdale, Miss. 12:55 p.m. :45 8.7 0Notes: Went to Clarksville to help Chapter 27 Memphis) with their lAC Contesl.

Contest May 25 and 26. Sunday 's contest day cal led off due to rain and lowceilings. I spend day pulling push rods out and greasing them - a five hourjob alone , but with plenty of help we did it in two hours plus pull the cowling tosee that all the screws and bolts are still in place

Monday , May 27, 1974Clarksdale - 10:05 a.m. Hayti , Mo. - 11 :45 a.m. 1:40 16 .0 1 ql.Hayti - 12:50 p .m. Sparta , III. - 2:20 p .m. 1:30 15.2 1 ql.Sparta - 3 :00 p .m. Lincoln , III. - 4:30 p.m 1 30 15.0 0Notes RON at Holiday Inn - good place to stopTuesday, May 28, 1974Lincoln - 8:22 a.m. Lincoln - 8 :52 a.m. :30 4.5 0Notes : Ceiling too low to even follow roads


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Photo y ick Stouffer)Willie Ropp at Oshkosh - taking a couple of lucky friendsup for a joy ride.

Photo y AI Kelch)Willie Ropp of Delray Beach, Florida.

Florida. The other time was at Clarksdale. EAA had a work crew painting . plant-ing flowers. etc . Back to 's.

Saturday, June 2, 1974Notes: To West Bend to put the Travel ir in the hangar with AI 's Franklin Sport.Flew the Travel Air hours and 20 minutes . . . never missed a beat

Saturday afternoon had been scheduled for a visit toOshkosh. At the last minute I couldn't go, so Willie wentalone. He was much impressed with the activity and theenthusiasm of the volunteer help and came back ravingabout the organizational ability of the whole staff at EAA.

Sunday was filled with visits to local airports and private strips, plus a few rides to the onlookers.

Monday, after an all too short visit, I saw Willie off to


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Around The Antique/Classic WorldNORTHROP BET INFO

In the May issue of TH VINT GE IRPL NE wefeatured the rare Northrop Beta as our Golden Oldie ofthe Month. At th e end of the article we requested someassistance from our readers in determining what ultimately happened to the two Betas. Member John C.Barbery, P. O. Box 108, Bedminster, New Jersey 07921has provided us with copies of his Aircraft ResearchData cards on X-963Y an d NC-12214.According to Mr. Barbery's records, the C-6 MenascoBuccaneer powered Beta was inspected and approved bythe CAA on March 31, 1931 for experimenta l licenseX-963Y, issued to expire on October 1, 1931. The entryen titl ed Fi nal Disposi tion sim pI y states, Washedout at Los Angeles, California on August 12, 1931. Theonly listed owner for the aircraft was th e factory, North-rop Aircraf t Corporation of Burbank.The Wasp Jr. powered Beta, NC-12214, lasted a littlelonger. It was initially licensed by the CAA on Septem-ber 1, 1931, wi th experimental number X-12214 to expireon March 1, 1932. A footnote states that Don Berlin wasthe chief engineer for thi s design and that Stearman Aircraft Corporation ran th e development and flight testson the pl ane. The Beta was sold on February 8, 1932 to

Kenyon Boocock with the NC license (approval under 2401). At this point 12214 had a total time of 40 hours. Another footnote sta tes tha t the Wasp Beta bore an incorrectserial number 1 on its nameplate until May of 1932 whenStearman provided Boocock a new nameplate with thecorrect serial number 2.12214 was damaged in an accident at Hicksville, LongIsland on Jan uary 16, 1933 arid was put in storage. OnJanuary 16, 1933 it was sold to George W. Hard of WestSayv ille, Long Island. A t some point in la te 1933 orearly 1934 (no date known) the plane was purchased byStearman in Wichita, who rebuilt the Beta for experi-menting with various flap configurations (conventional,zap, Fowler and Wright types), completing it on May 1,1934. On May 3, 1934 title was transfe rred to United Airports, East Hartford, Co nnecticu t (apparently for registration purposes on ly and two days later, on May 5,the aircraft was completely destroyed in an accident atWichita.

So there you are, antiquers it would appear thata ll hope is lost of finding a restorab le Beta in so meone'sbarn.

Our thanks to John Barbery for making thi s information avai labl e. - Jack Cox, Editor

lASSIFIEDSWANTED - Two wire wheels for 30x5 tires ; Siemens Halske SH III FOR SALE - Aeronca TAC. civil version of the Defender. 70 restored.160 h.p. geared rotary engine . Roy Rehm. Box 4832. Stateline. original aircraft of eronca Employees Flying Club . LynwoodNevada 89449. Clark . 8200 Meyers Road. Middleton. Ohio. 422-3417.

Calendar Of EventsOCTOBER 11-13 - TAHLEQUAH . OKLAHOM - 16th nnual Fly-InspOrisored by Tulsa Chapters of AAA. EAA and lAC. Homebuilts.Antiques and Classics welcome. Contact : Bert Mahon, 31 1 South


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