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G
F
RUA
VOL. 34 , No. 2 2006
ON
TENTS
1 Straight
and
Level
by Geo
ff
Robison
2 VAA News
5 Aeromail
6
A Silver Eagle
A biogra
ph
y o f E.M. "Ma
tt
y" Laird
by
Robert G. Elli ott and Ed Escallon
2 VAA Hall of Fame
200S Inductee Richard
W.
K
nu t
son
by H.G. Frautschy
4
Perfecting Perfection:
To ny S
mith 's
Ultimate
Jungme
ister
by Budd Davisson
9 An Annual Gat
hering
of Howards
at Hayward, Wisconsin
The beasts visit
th
e No
rth
woods
by Sparky Barnes Sa rgent
25 2005 Tulsa Fly -In
Se ptember 16-1
7,
200S
by Char lie Harris
3 Pass
It
to Buck
More
too
ling a ro
und
by Bu ck Hilbert
32 The
Vintage Instructor
Isn 't thi s fun ?
by Doug Stewa rt
STAFF
EAA Pub
li
sher Tom Poberezny
34 Mystery Plane
EAA
Editor-in-Chief
Scott Spangler
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GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
o
the
past
and
to
the
future
By now you have
all
had the
opportunity to read and
enjoy
the January Vintage
magazine. I
am
excited
about what the added
content has done for
this truly
wonderful
publication. Kudos to
H.G.
and
all
involved.
As
good
as
I
think this publication
is,
it
re
mains critically important
that
we
all appreciate
the
challenges be
fore us to
continue
this
initiative
and step forward to spoon-feed the
EAA
Vintage movement with inter
esting ideas
and
technical articles
to
make
it
even
better.
Be
assured
that
your Vintage Aircraft Associa
tion greatly appreciates whatever
efforts
the
membership
may pro
vide to this
important
initiative.
More than a dozen of my good
friends
and
I were privileged
to
attend
the 3rd Annual Wright
Memorial
Dinner at Oshkosh on
December 17th for the
celebration
of the 102nd anniversary of flight.
With
well
more
than 200
avia
tion
enthusiasts in attendance, we
were all enthralled with
the
pre
rience
www.wrightexperience.com).
I
and
my friends, I'm sure, had
prepared
ourselves to
hear
about
Scott's
long and exciting career
as a test pilot and his experiences
in flying the
North
American X-
IS
with
NACA/NASA s
hypersonic
flight
program
from
the
1960s.
Be assured,
there was not
a
hint of
disappointment amongst
all
of these friends
when
Scott
began telling his tales
about
the
cha
llenges he
took on
in engag
ing
himself in this once -in-a
lifetime
opportunity.
I
personally
will
never
forget
sitting on
that
hill at Kitty Hawk, North
Caro
lina, on that
rainy and
cold De
cember
day in 2003,
awaiting the
rollout of the 2003 Wright FLyer.
And
then
watching it fly for a mi
crosecond
in
time and then
flop
into that
mud-covered
field
at
the
base
of the Wright Brothers
National Memoria
l monument.
As disappointing
as that sounds,
you really had to be there
to
feel
the excitement in the air
among
excitement
of that
day in 2003,
and
the
emotion
of
that moment
came rushing
back
to my mind.
Then, to hear Scott explain in
great
detail the challenges he and
the team of pilots faced in prep
aration
for
that
event
over two
years ago proved to be not
only
entertaining, but
also fundamen
tal to
understanding
the real chal
lenges
they
faced that cold
and
rainy December
day in 2003. Scott
showed the audience a number of
video cl ips that
were
shot during
their
training, and
one
of
them
of
particular interest
showed
the
venerable test pilot
at
the controls
of the
1902 Wright
Glider being
towed by a van .
When
the aircraft suddenly
pitched
forward, it struck the
ground
with
such
force
that
Scott
was
physically
pitched out
of
the
front of
the
machine
into
the
grass
and
on
his
back side. Now,
Scott was 82
years
old when this
happened, and it was
amazing
to
watch him jump right up,
dust
http:///reader/full/www.wrightexperience.comhttp:///reader/full/www.wrightexperience.com
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CALLING
ALL
WAYPOINTS
Get noticed on the
EAA
AirVenture website
Every year,
many
facilities pro
vide special offers to EAA mem
bers on their flights to and from
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. We col
lect
listings of these valuable
of
fers and place
them together on
the
EAA
AirVenture
website as a
convenience
to
those
planning a
flight to the World's Greatest Avia
tion
Celebration .
If you'd like your facility to be
among
the
waypoints , FBOs, and
others
listed
on the
EAA
AirVen
ture website, please
send
us
your
information, including name
of
business, airport, phone number,
e-mail address,
and
any special of
fers you'd like to announce. Send to
[email protected] and then watch
for it
on
www airventure
.org.
EAA
AIRVENTURE RIDESHARE
Looking
for
a ride, or have a
spare right seat for Oshkosh? Visit
www.airventure.org
rideshare.
CUTTING MEDICAL
CERTIFICATE BACKLOG
Pilots
would
see
improved
re
sponse times to their medical
certification and
special-issuance
applications if the
FAA
adopts
EAA-
proposed policy
and
process
changes. In a letter and supporting
Sport Pilot Q&A
Q
.
am flying with a special issuance
of
my third class medical
under Title 14
of
the
CFRs
Section
67 401
I desire to transi
tion to
sport
pilot status What is required
of
me to do this?
Your
transition is simple Simply let your
FAA
medical certificate
expire, at which time you automatically switch to
sport
pilot
op-
erations using your valid U.S. state driver'S license in lieu of the
medical certificate. Remember that you need to restrict yourself to exer
Cising only sport pilot privileges and limitations while using your driver 's
license in lieu of a medical certificate, and you are allowed to fly only air
craft
that
fit within the definition
of
a light-sport aircraft (LSA).
You
also
need to continue to keep your flight review current.
A:
or more
inform ation about operating an
aircraft that
qualifies as an LSA please
visit
www sportpilot org/faq
active
aeromedical
examiners
and
volunteer their time to advise and as-
sist on medical issues affecting pilots.
These highly qualified individu
als,
who
are well recognized
within
the aeromedical field, have the ex
pertise and experience to address
the issues
and
develop practical
recommendations and solutions,
Poberezny said.
Poberezny
noted
that, during EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 200S last July,
the
medical-certification backlog
was the most commonly mentioned
topic
by pilots during
the annual
Meet the Administrator session. Po
berezny
commended
the
FAA
for re
sponding to
EAA
members' appeal
tions addressing all phases
of
the
process,
including
enhancing the
quality of data input, minimizing
or
eliminating
delays in the mul
tiple steps in
the
certification
path
way,
reducing
the input burden to
the [FAA s] Aerospace Medical Cer
tification Division through the del
egation of authority to aeromedical
examiners
[AMEs],
and pursuing
other measures.
EAA
cites a survey that indicates
94
percent of
AMEs are
willing
to
take on additional training and re
sponSibility
to
address
the
problem.
The EAA Aeromedical
Coun
cil has done outstanding work in
outlining
the
current situation and
mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.airventure.orghttp:///reader/full/www.airventure.orghttp:///reader/full/www.airventure.orghttp://www.airventure.org/ridesharehttp://www.airventure.org/ridesharehttp://www.airventure.org/ridesharehttp://www.sportpilot.org/faqmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.airventure.orghttp://www.airventure.org/ridesharehttp://www.sportpilot.org/faq
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ing adventure of your life: building
your
own aircraft. Workshops
for
this location include Introduction
to
Aircraft Building; Composite
Construction;
Sheet
Metal Basics;
Fabric Covering; and Electrical Sys-
tems
and
Avionics.
Holding our workshop program
at a location like
the
Michigan Insti
tute
of
Aviation
and
Technology is a
real benefit for EAA members, said
Charlie Becker, director
of
SportAir
Workshops. They get to learn
the
ba
sic homebuilding skills in a first-class
environment so their entire focus can
be on the hands-on training.
If you have any questions, or to get
the full 2006 schedule, call 800-967
5746 toll-free or visit
www sportair org
UPD TE
IRCR FT
REGISTR TION INFORM TION
DE DLINE
W S
FEBRU RY
1
Even though the
deadl ine
has passed, just
in
case you've
missed it,
you
should immedi
ately ensure that your aircraft's
registration
record
is
accurate
and
reflects
the
correct name
and current
address.
As
EAA
reported in early Decem
ber,
the
FAA
announced
on Decem
ber 9 that it is asking aircraft owners
to check their registration records
online to ensure the accuracy
of
the
information.
The
FAA
and TSA be
lieve it
is
in
the
interests
of
national
security and aviation safety to en
sure
that
only properly
registered
aircraft operate within
the
National
Airspace System NAS). The vast ma
jority
of aircraft
owners
are up to
you need
to make
a correction, go
to
www.faa.gov/licensesJertificates /
a rcrafCcertification/a ircrafCregistry/
change_of-address/
and
follow the
change-of-address procedures.
Also inspect
th
Aircraft De
scription information.
Look
for
the Status in the right
column.
If i t
says Valid,
then your
records
are okay-the information was ver
ified within
the
last three years.
If the entry says
In question or
Undel
Tri*,
then yo u need
to
call
the
FAA registry office
at
866
762-9434
or
visit
www faa gov/
I cen ses _certificates/a ircrafccerti
fication/aircrafCregistry/contacC
aircrafCcertification to determine
what you need
to
do.
continued on page 39
Prefer
Grass Runways
Here s some help.
s an
E
member (an important part
of
your
V
membership),
you
can use the E Flight Planner to chart your trip. Just click on the E
Flight Planner link on the left side of the home pages at www.eaa.orgor
www vintageaircraft. org.
s
an added bonus, we have a handy list of airports in the United that
have grass runways and fuel service, compiled by V member Kris
Kor-
tokrax. First published
in
2004
the list has been reviewed and updated
this winter by Kris, and is organized alphabetically and by sectional
chart. Kris also includes airports that have grass and paved surfaces.
The
list is available as a
download at www.vintageaircraft.org.
Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are more pleasant to fly when
http:///reader/full/www.sportair.orghttp://www.faa.gov/licensesJertificateshttp:///reader/full/www.faa.govhttp://www.eaa.orgor/http:///reader/full/www.vintageaircraft.orghttp:///reader/full/www.sportair.orghttp://www.faa.gov/licensesJertificateshttp:///reader/full/www.faa.govhttp://www.eaa.orgor/http:///reader/full/www.vintageaircraft.org
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Friends of
the Red
Barn Campaign
Many
services are
provided
to
vintage
aircraft
en
thusiasts
at
EAA
AirVentu re
Oshkosh.
From
parking
airplanes to feeding
people
at the Tall Pines Cafe
and
Red Barn,
more than 400 volunteers do
it all.
Some
may ask,
If
vol
unte
ers are providing the services,
where is th
e expense?"
Glad
you
asked.
The
scooters for
the
flightline crew
need
repair
and
batteries,
and the
Red Barn
needs
paint,
new
windowsills,
updated
wiring,
and other
sundry
repairs, plus we love
to
care for
our vo
lunt
eers
with
spec ial
recognition
caps
and
a pizza
par
t
y. The
list really cou ld go
on and
on, but
no
matter how
many
expenses we
can point out, the need remains
constant.
The
Friend s
of the
Red Barn
fund helps pay
for
the VAA
expenses
at EAA
AirVenture,
and is
a cru
cial
part
of
the
Vintage Aircraft Association budget.
Please help
the VAA and
our 400-plus
dedicated
volunteers make this an
un
forgettable experie
nc
e for
our
many EAA
AirVenture guests. We've made it
even
more
fun
to
give
this
year,
with more
giv ing levels
to
fit
each person s
budget,
and more
inte r
esting
activi
ties for
donors to
be a
part
of.
Your contribution now really does
make
a differ
ence.
There
are six levels
of
gifts
and
gift
recognition
.
Thank
you
for
whatever you can
do.
Here are some of
th
e many activities
the
Friends of
the
Red Barn
fund
underwrites:
• Red Barn nformation Desk Supplies
• Participant Plaques and Supplies
• Toni's Red Carpet Express Repairs
and
Radios
• Caps for VAA Volunteers
• Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers
• Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies
• Breakfast for Past Grand Champions
• Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies
• Membership Booth Administrative Supplies
• Signs Throughout the Vintage Area
• Red Barn
and
Other Buildings' Maintenance
• And More
Thank-You Items
by Level
Name Listed:
Vintage, Web
& Sign at
Red Barn
Donor
Appreciation
Certificate
Access to
Volunteer
Center
Special
FORB
Badge
Two Passes
to VAA
Volunteer
Party
Special
FORB
Cap
Breakfast
at
Tall Pines
Cafe
Tri-Motor
Ride
Certificate
Two Tickets
to
VAA
Picnic
Close Auto
Parking
Diamond , $1,000
X X
X
X X
X
2 People/ Full
Wk
2 Tickets X Full Week
Platinum, $750 X X
X X X X
2 People/Full
Wk
2 Tickets X 2 Days
Gold, $500
X X X X X X
1 Person/Full
Wk
1 Ticket
Silver, $250
X X
X X X X
Bronze
100
X X
X
X
Loyal Supporter,
$99 &
Under
X X
-
VAA
Friends
of
the
Red
Barn
Name
EAA
# VAA #
_
Address _
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After reading
about
the Lockheed
Altair/
Orion in this month's
Vintage I just had to
dig out
two
slides that
I
took of
that
very
air
plane at the Mantz
fa
cility in California back
in May 23, 1968. It car
ried
Reg.
No. NC12222,
sin
180.
Occasionally
I
would
learn
that
it
was sold
at
auction to someone in
New
Hampshire,
where
i t
stayed in storage for
quite some time, and
then
was eventually
sold
to
Swissair,
and
fi
nally
after
a beautiful
restoration was put on
display at the transpor-
tation museum in
Lucerne.
In October 1991, I
had the
good
fortune to
be
invited
to speak on
Charles A. Lindbergh, in Lucerne, Switzerland,
at the
41st Interline Sales
Marketing Conference.
As soon
as I
had some
free
time
I
visited
the
transportation
museum there, and low
and
behold, there was
that
very
Lockheed again,
all
done
up
in
bright
red. I t had
been restored
to
flying condition,
and flown,
and
was just gorgeous.
So I am enclosing
both the
slides and
IT S A SWALLOW!
In
the
last Reminiscing With Big
Nick story Uanuary 2006], you asked,
"What is
it?"
on
page
9.
Well,
as
I
am
a
connoisseur
of Swallow airplanes,
I picked right up on this one. I t is
the near to the last Swallow built on
the
1927
model
airframe.
The
1927
model Swallows ATC 21,50, and 51)
were assigned serial numbers 801 and
on.
They were first advertised in No
vember 1926 and built
through
1930.
No Swallow production list has been
discovered, but I have gleaned the old
registration lists and recorded most
of
them.
The highest
serial
number
found
is
1042, NC430N, built in Feb-
ruary 1930 and powered by a Wright
]-6-7. It was built under Group 2
Ap-
proval, 2-186.
10283
caught
my eye
on
the list
by
having
Swallow serial
number
1-R. I obtained its record from
the
FAA
to
see if I could determine
what
model it was. The record shows that
i t is a standard Hisso-powered Swal
low (like ATC 50), but in place of the
USA
27 airfoil, the Clark Y was used.
This photo of 10283 is the only
one
that
I have seen. It shows
that
it is
definitely a Swallow. There appears to
be a little "customizing." The landing
gear legs are covered and the radiator
header tank has been moved from
the upper front of the engine cowl to
the firewall, like the OX-5.
10283 was registered to Bruce E.
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A biography of
E.M
. Matty
Lai
rd
y
ROBERT
G
ELLIOTT
AND ED ESCALLON
September
of 1910,
a 14-year-old lad
of Scottish descent
stood with a crowd
I
Nof
other
curious spec
tators overlooking the Grant Park
area of Chicago.
Soon Walter Brookins, an early
Wright brothers-trained civilian pilot,
took to
the
air in a Wright
Flyer
giv
ing the Windy City its first aeroplane
demonstration. Intently watching the
flight, Emil Matthew Matty Laird
tried to take
in
every
motion and
sensation of
the
biplane
as
it
roared
slowly across the city's skyline.
The flight ended, but its impact
would profoundly affect Chicago.
From
the
early pioneering develop
ments
of its local citizens
through
Matty Laird
sat for
Robert
Elliott
in his home at
on
20 1976. He had
been
sorting
through files making a selection of
his
photo-
graphs to be used in the illustration of this article. Behind on a mobile
stand
is
his
old engine from the Baby Biplane.
passed away in 1909, and to support
his
mother, two
younger
brothers,
and a sister, Matty had gone to work
in the First National Bank
of
Chi
cago as an office boy. Consequently,
his formal education had terminated
with the eighth grade.
farm implement fame backed the
for-
mation
of
the
Aero Club of Illinois.
The Aero Club served to concentrate
interest
and
efforts in developing
flying machines. Octave Chanute
became its first preSident. The en
thusiastic secretary, Harold Robbins,
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Using a ramp
or
the launch, it wasn t
long before he was making brief flights
down the Chicago streets .
much
to
the distress of the nearby school
principal .
who
couldn t get his
students back into class following
these demonstrations.
Matty, on the left, prepares to launch
a
rubber
band-powered
model
airplane
while
his
friend
looks on.
Glenn
Martin
, Max Lillie, DeUoyd
Thompson, Katherine Stinson (the
first
of the Stinson
family
to
learn
to fly , Chance Vought, Ole Flottorp
(the propeller manufacturer), Charles
Day, Matty and his model Aero Club
Young
Matty s mind
was
fonning the shape of
things
to come while watching a
Wright Flyer Model give Chicago
its
irst
look
at
man
in
the
air.
friends Buck Weaver, Charles Arens,
and
later arrivals Ot to Timm
and
Ed
die Stinson, as well as many others.
Consequently, with activity every
where on the field, as well as com
petitive events such as the Air Meet
of 1911, a challenging environment
developed, which proved to be most
perfect for
the
course Matty had cho
r
sen
to
follow.
'
:5 Not
all
of the
creations
coming
out of Cicero were successful. Some
; ;; were
monstrosities
... like the Um
brella Plane,
which
hopped
about
like a kangaroo , attempting
to
be
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10/44
COURTESY E M MAny L IRD
The Baby Biplane lifts off the ground with Matty
at
the controls.
This
was
his irst version
of this
Baby
Bi
plane
with the
squared
-
off wingtips.
The
third
version of
the
Baby
Biplane. Outer wingtips and
stabilize
r
surfaces were now curved. In addition near where
his
hand is rest-
ing
was the bolted
coupling that
allowed the
fuselage to be
divided
for
shipment
in cr
ates to
various exhibition
sites
.
forts began to show real promise, as
he began to win
the
model competi
tions. Even in the bank, his designs
didn't
go
unnoticed.
An embarrass
ing incident of a rise-off-the-ground
model airplane launched in the lobby
and
landed upstairs near
one
of the
corporate officers. This model flight
netted him cash orders for 20 more,
to be used as Christmas presents,
rather than disciplinary action.
When Matty felt he'd gathered suf
ficient knowledge from his models to
know what was involved in manned
flight, he set about building a glider to
be mounted about his bicycle. Using
a ramp for
the
launch, he was
soon
making brief flights down the Chi
cago streets much to the distress
of the nearby school principal
who
couldn't get his
students
back into
class following these demonstrations.
By late 1912, Matty had begun con
struction of a powered
monoplane.
He
located a 12-hp Franklin automo
taught him reverse reac
tions to what was required
in a normally rigged flying
machine.
After a series
of
ground runs, Matty finally
decided
the time had come
for a flight. He released
the
blip switch on the engine,
and the small craft acceler
ated smartly.
When things
Matty
seated
proudly in the cockpit of his Baby
Bi-
began to feel right, Matty,
plane. Note the oil tank he mounted directly
above
having little
idea
of
the
the
engine
a
llow
i
ng
controlled amounts of
oil
to
sensitivity required, hauled
be fed
into
the
engine thus helping to prevent
ex-
back on the wheel abruptly
cessive oil
from
floodi
ng
the
upper cylinder areas
and was surprised
when
and fouling
the
spark
plugs.
the little monoplane leaped
into the air. With
the end of the field,
and the
power lines, coming up fast,
he wisely avoided attempting a turn,
but
his
subsequent over-control
on
touchdown ended
the
flight
some
what
unceremoniously
as the flying
machine went over on its back.
In later flights Matty taught himself
the basics of controlling the aircraft
had been doubtful as
to
the
12-hp
monoplane'S ability to fly were quite
surprised when
the
performance of
the
Baby Biplane exceeded
many of
their own aeroplanes with three times
the
power. As a mark
of
excellence
even by today's standards, this craft's
weight, when empty, was
only
375
pounds. Its outstanding performance
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The famous Anzani powered Boneshaker. This
early
exhibition plane
proved
most
s
uccessful
and
permitted
Matty
to
build a
respected
name for
himseH
through
his
exhibition flights.
ceeded by a larger two-place
biplane design called
the
Boneshaker,
intended
pri
marily for exhibition aer
obatics. A
notable
feature
was the automatic massage
that
occupants
received
from the Anzani radial en
gine. Performance was out
standing, however,
and
it
was in this craft
that
Matty
Interior of
early
construction area showing Matty s
instructed the first loop-the
shipping crate
s for
the Baby Biplane
,
stacked in
the
right
com
er.
Matty was
on
that leave of absence
until the day he died.
Flying
engagements soon took
Matty and his friend-mechanic Weaver
all over the Central and Rocky Moun
tain states. Aerial photography, night
flying with flares
on the
aeroplane,
loop-the-loops .
. .
all soon became a
standard part of his repertoire.
The
Baby Biplane was
modified
three times in successive years, with
small
improvements
added
to
the
loop in
the
United States.
Matty lent the
Bone-
shaker
to
Katherine Stinson for
the
first tour of an aeroplane inJapan and
China,
and
his creation became
an
in
ternational thriller overnight.
Success followed Matty from one
engagement to another, as his fame
as a
youthful
aviator was
broadcast
by the newspapers of the day. Head
lines featured
him
as liThe Fearless
Scotch Aviator.
Tragedy struck in San Antonio,
Texas, during March 1917.
Matty
Stinson's tour. Soon after these flights
the government placed a ban
on
all ci-
vilian flying due to the United States'
involvement in World War
I
Matty
returned
then
to Chicago to enter
St
Luke's Hospital for further corrective
surgery to correct deficiencies result
ing from the San Antonio crash.
After his release from this second
hospitalization, Matty concentrated
his efforts to build the Model S Sport
Plane he
had
designed in 1916 after
the close of his exhibition tour.
He
sold
several of them, including one to
Bill
Burke, a Buick-Franklin dea ler from
Oklahoma. Burke was
so
pleased with
the aeroplane that he talked his friend
Jake
Mollendick, an oilman
from
Wichita, Kansas, into offering a finan
cial arrangement in order to establish
manufacturing facilities in Wichita.
The offer was attractive
to
Matty,
so
he
packed
up and
moved, bring
ing his younger brother Charley and
Wa lter Weber with him. Both Charley
and Walter were employed in the pro
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The laird Swallow that was flown by
Shorty
Schroeder on a nationwide
tour
for the
Underwriters laboratories in 1921 to promote the regis
tration
of
aircraft.
This
laird
was
the
first
registered
aircraft
in
the
United
States.
able in that locality and tained within both a grain grader and
aircraft
building talents a wheat show building. To highlight
were hardly commonplace
the new
company,
a Model S was
among the local citizens.
placed on display in the Forum Mu
Matty S new factory nicipal Building during the
annual
was
described
as
being
wheat show.
A laird
Model
S
was
displayed
in
the lobby
of
the
the largest west of Buffalo
During
this initial growth period
wheat forum
in
Chicago
to
call
attention to
the
New York. His initial facil
there were several personnel transi
aircraft
manufacturing activity of the
laird
Co.
ity
consisted of
space ob tions. Burke returned to Oklahoma to
take charge of his automobile agency.
Weaver was hired as a demonstrat ion
pilot. Then, during
the summer
of
1921 when Matty and Weaver
had
taken a couple of Swallows
out
to
th
e
West Coast on a
promotional
tour
Walter Beech was engaged as a dem
onstration
pilot. Additionally Lloyd
and Waverly
Stearman
became em
ployed in the Swallow production.
Business had become a little slow
in 1921 due to the post-war recession
but the
E.M
. Laird Co.
con
tinued
to
keep its fine product in front of th e
public. This was accomplished with
laird
Whirlwind:
three-place
open-cockpit
Wright
Whirlwind J5
220-hp
engine.
the help of the enth usiastic and co
operative newspapers
in
that region
and such projects as the nationwide
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Like a lot of young people, Richard
"Doc" Knutson was fascinated with
aviation and started building model
airplanes at a young age. He was born
2 5 IIN U TEE
By H.G.
FRAUTSCHY
an Aeronca 11AC Scout. Next came a
Stinson 108-2, a straight tail Cessna
172,
and on up through the
popu-
lar airplanes
of
the 1950s and '60s.
his first project, Doc's enthusiasm was
high. He had the aircraft flying again
in only five
months
although there
were times he would have to peel fab-
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oc far right)
and
a pair of other Lodi Wisconsin pilots started the
Lodi
Lakeland
airport in 1956. It remains in operation
today
a pretty
grass
field
nestled
in the softly rolling hills just northeast of town. oc
has
used the local airport to give rides to as many local folks as he
could
over the
years.
Long before the days of the Young Eagtes program,
oc made sure
every
youth
within three counties got an airplane ride.
He
was
an active member of the Civil Air Patrol until the squadron was
disbanded. In addition, he was
an
Air Scout Leader.
~ .
Right:
A dapper
young Richard Knutson.
Below: Collage of airplane photos.
Many of the airplanes oc has restored.
For
most
of the restoration projects, his
son
Dan assisted him. oc has been
a
judge for Contemporary aircraft at EAA
AirVenture
since
the category was
estab-
lished in 1993, and a judge at the
Annual
Sentimental
Journey
at the former Piper
factory in Lock Haven Pennsylvania.
If it flew he was interested. These are just a pair of the
many radio-controlled model airplanes oc Knutson
Another fabric-covered Piper is attended to
by
the local Lodi Wisconsin chiropractor,
Doc
Knutson.
Known
around
the world within the
Cub Club as one of the experts on the restora
tion of fabric-covered Pipers Doc still takes
time to answer the occasional letter or
phone
call asking him for restoration advice.
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Perfectin
Perfection:
Tony
Smith s
Ultimate
Jungmeister
udd Davisson
Photos Jim Koepnick
wasn't trying to restore it
to
orig
inal
condition," says
Tony
Smith
in
his delightfully English accent.
"I'd
already
done that a number
of
times
to a number of different
Buckers. Airplanes are
meant
to be
flown,
and as
I found out from my
first, very original Jungmeister, even the perfect air
plane,
the
Jungmeister,
isn't
perfect. So,
when
I re
stored this one, I improved those things I'd found
to
be less than perfect."
Tony
is
talking
about
the Bucker Jungmeister (pro
nounced young-my-ster;
in English: young
master)
Bu-133
he'd
flown down from
his
winter home on
the Leeward Air Ranch
in
Ocala to the 200S
Sun
'n
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into aviation initially, as
many
do,
through model airplanes. However,
his first real exposure
to
airplanes
was anything but typical: joining
the
Royal
Air
Force
(RAF)
at
18,
he
became
part of a special
quick
response safety team.
lilt was our job to parachute into
an
area needing instantaneous re
sponse, specifically
crash
sites
or
lost nukes. We were
moved
all over
the
world, but I spent
much
of my
time in
the
Middle
and
Far East,
moving from
base
to
base
as the
job required.
Tony spent seven
years
in the
RAF. After that
his passion
for
building plastic (polystyrene, actu
ally) models led into his developing
a plastic
packaging
business
that
consumed
his life until 1985.
I
had always
wanted to
learn
to fly but the time and money just
wasn't available. I was married in
'69, had two girls, Katy and Saman
tha,
and
a boy, Jeremy,
and
just
couldn't fit flying in.
When he finally did start flying, he
went at it with something much more
extreme than a mere vengeance.
l iMy first
airplane
was a 90-hp
Super Cub,
but
in '87 I got my first
of four Jungmanns.
I t
was a
CASA
with
the
Tigre engine, which I have
always
thought
was much
misun
derstood and underrated.
He
underscored
his faith
in
the
Tigre engine when
he
flew a Jung
m n n f rom
Darwin,
Australia, to
I had a
big
fuel
tank
installed
in the front seat,
putting
me 200
pounds over gross on takeoff. The
longest over-water leg was 600 miles,
and
this
was
before
GPSs.
Using
a
compass only, I was only 15 miles
off course when I made landfall.
li he biggest problem of
the
trip
was
the
politiCS
and
paperwork. The
trip took 12 flying days, but I was
gone a total of 21,
with the
rest be
ing
consumed
filling
out
forms
and
seeking
permission to
fly
through
foreign airspace.
Over
the years,
Tony quickly
became something
of a Bucker
scavenger
because,
among
other
things,
he enjoys
working on the
airplanes himself.
I 'm
never happier
than when
paddling
around in
buckets
of
bu
tyrate dope. Because of that, the air
planes are never off
my
mind,
and
I'm always looking for parts.
At
that
time, a large percentage of the ex
isting CASA
Jungmann
parts were
owned by Marcus Bates, in Odessa,
Texas, and it was while visiting him,
looking for
an
engine,
that the
sec
ond Jungmeister got its start. I
Prior to
that
time
Tony
had
ac
quired a nearly 100 percent original
ex-Swiss air force Bucker-built Jung
meister and
loved it dearly. Even
so ,
there
were
things about
the
airplane
that he
felt could be
im
proved
upon,
but
he
wasn't
going
to modify such an original airplane.
He had too
much
respect for history
to do
that.
He'd always
wanted to build the
u
ltimate Jungmeister,
and when
standing
in Marcus Bates' hangar in
Texas, sifting
through
piles of parts,
his
dream
took some serious steps
toward reality.
Although Marcus
was selling
primarily Jungmann parts, while
I was digging
through
his piles of
'stuff,' I'd periodically run into a
Jungmeister
part. When
I started
looking closely, it became obvi
8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2006
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The unusual control stick of
the Jung
meister
is center s
tag
e in the
pilot s
cockpit. The lightweight, multi-tube
German construction of the Biicker is
also
exposed to
those
who are
privi
leged to fly the biplane.
(why do
Texans figure so promi-
nently in the history of German bi-
planes?). England's
sport aviation
certifying
organization, the
PFA
was heavily involved in that proj-
ect and, in fact, granted permission
for six fuselages to be built. The im-
portant part of this tale
is
that Mark
Jefferies is a friend of Tony's, and
there was at least
one
fuselage avail-
able. Problem solved. Sort of.
I collected as
many
of the bits
and
pieces as I could from Marcus
and found
I
had
original
wings,
landing gear, instrument panel,
and
tail ,
along with
many other ancil-
lary pieces. Also, Bitz
in Germany
had
a wide selection of parts, most
of which were new.
I
Tony
Smith
dons
his
face
mask
with
microphone before heading
off
on
another
en
joyable flight with his Jungmeister.
In the end, we
built
all
new
spars, ribs, and
rebuilt
the
ailerons. Ev-
erything
else, however,
including
the
alumi-
num tip bows, was ab-
solutely salvageable.
When
viewing an air-
plane such as a Jung-
meister
and
intending
to
fly it as
often
as pos-
Tightly
fitted
control surfaces
and, in
the
case of the rud
der,
a
gap seal
contribute to
the
well-balanced
feel
of the
Jungmeister s
controls.
Below: Wheel
covers for air
planes have
been
given a
va
riety of names,
but in
this
case, wheel
spats
cer
tainly
seems
to
fit
the
char
acter
of the Biicker.
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needed
improvement
was the
en
gine. The original seven-cylinder,
160-hp Siemens was a fine-running
engine,
but
it was
extremely
lim
ited in its ability to
pump
the
ponies
out,
and things got quiet quickly
when the
nose came up
and the
speed went away. Here again, Texan
Frank Price came to the rescue. Tex
ans can't have an underpowered air
plane. It's against state law.)
In
the
'60s
and
'70s Frank Price
was a larg
er-than-
life air
show
fig
ure who always
left the
crowd
shaking its collective head over his
snap
roll
on
takeoff
in
his 260-hp,
Lycoming-powered Jungmeister
clone.
However, prior to the
Ly
coming/Bucker
, Price flew a 185
hp, Warner-powered Great Lakes,
and the
Warner
was
only
slightly
larger than
the
Siemens in
the
Bucker, something
that didn't
es
cape Tony Smith's notice.
I located a 185-hp Warner Super
conite
that
is only
pulled
up
semi
taut with the iron before
doping.
The rest of
the tightening is
done
by medium-tautening dope.
The
paint
scheme
is
that
of
a pre-war, civilian flying club, al
though obviously we
had
to use a
U.K.
'G'
number
rather
than
a Ger
man 'D.' I
didn't
have to re-register
it here because
the FAA is
very good
about foreign registered airplanes
in the U.S.
that are being operated
by
foreign owners. Their feeling is
that,
if it's
okay in
the U.K.,
then
it's okay here.
The paint used was nothing ex
otic. Just two-part
automotive
ure
thane
with a little plasticizer mixed
in.
I t
looks
terrific,
but it
should
be
remembered
that
the airplane
wasn't built to
be a showpiece.
I t
was
meant
to be flown hard. Tony's
goal of performance
and
lots of
fly
ing
would
be
hampered by
excess
weight,
and paint is where
most
com is the
portal to a truly impres
sive endeavor.
Tony, who is an aviation addict of
the
highest order, established
RAC
on
his airstrip that's located
on
the
site of
the
World War II Breighton
bomber base near Selby. It was to be
a
haven
for pilots
and enthusiasts
who
felt stifled trying
to
engage in
their own brand of aeronautical fun
on
normal
airports. The site has
grown to its
current eight
hangars
and
more
than
40 flying machines
ranging
from Hurricanes, Spitfires,
Mustangs,
and
the
like
to
a
wide
range of antiques, including the ac
tual
Percival Mew Gull
that
Alex
Henshaw used
to
set
many
records
in
1939. It's also
worth
noting
that
Tony's
L-39
was the first certified in
western Europe
and that
he and the
airplane played a starring role in the
opening
scenes in
the
James Bond
film
Tomorrow Never Dies.
So what
does a person who owns
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21/44
n
Annual
Gathering
o
Howards
at Hayward
Wistonsin
The beasts visit the Northwoods
Y SPARKY B RNES SARGENT
"They're beautiful, they re husky and strong,
they
sound great, and you can
put
everything but
the
kitchen
sink in them " quips Ellen Rippon with warm admira
tion
and
not
a
moment s
hesitation
when
asked
what
she likes about Howard
DGAs,
including the one that she
and
her husband, Ron, own. Laughing with a knowing
smile, Barbara Moore adds, 'They' re exciting and they're
muscle machines " This is the type of contagious enthu
siasm
that
you'll find prevalent
among
members of
the
Howard Aircraft Foundation at their annual gathering in
Hayward, Wisconsin, just before
EAA
AirVenture.
The group s
membership
is
sprinkled
throughout
49 states, with Howard owners located in 40 states.
Al-
though
their membership
is
relatively small compared
to other type clubs, with 147 members and only 47 fly-
ing airplanes (plus a
few
projects),
the
group easily com
Ed Moore,
president
of
the
Howard Aircraft Founda
tion,
recalls
that
their
first
gathering
was held
in Au-
gust 2003
at
Sawyer
County
Airport HYR) in Hayward,
Wisconsin. Eight Howards
and
about
three dozen peo
ple attended that year, and the
numbers doubled
in
2004,
when the
gathering was moved just a few miles
away to
the Cable Union Airport (both airports are on
the
Green
Bay
sectional, with 100LL available).
In 2005,
the number
of aircraft was down a bit,
but
it was a successful
and
enjoyable gathering nonetheless.
Thirty-eight members, along with well more than a dozen
guests, began arriving
on
Friday afternoon. After a hearty
dinner and bunking down for the night in the rustic lodge
at the Telemark Lodge (which also has suites and 'condo
miniums available), Saturday morning dawned a bit over
cast, but fine enough for flying excursions to neighboring
8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2006
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Le
roy
and
Peggy Peterson arrive at Cable
Union
Airport
in
their
ex-military Model 15P.
Brian and Debbie Longwill
in
their Model 15p, wearing its U.S.
N
avy mil
ita
ry
colors
as
it
did in
its
fonner
life
as
a
GH
3.
members
as well.
Lund s
sons,
Jim
, Dan,
and
Tom,
cheerfully helped provide ground transportation from
the
airport to
the lake shore, where Al
and
his wife,
Lois, graciously welcomed Howard owners
and their
guests to enjoy delicious hand-prepared refreshments
by
the
water's edge.
But that 's
not all-this past summer
Lund gener
ously provided
the opportunity
for folks
to
enjoy
the
rare
experience of
flying in his float-equipped
twin
Beech, while
another
member, Dale Walker, was hap
pily
hopping
rides
in
his Howard
DGA
also on floats.
Saturday was capped off
with
the annual
pig roast
at
Lund's hangar, back at
the
airport in Hayward.
Lund enjoys having these
folks
gather at his home and
hangar, explaining that the weekend is for Howard own
ers and enthusiasts, whether they have flying aircraft or
projects, and whether they come by Howard, or another
type of airplane, or drive, adding
that
he expects that
the event will
continue as
long as the Howard owners
want to do it. The group also plans to have some regional
fly-ins around the country, and right now we're planning
one
for
West Yellowstone in September 2006.
Paul Bjornstad flies his
Howard
near
Cable Union
Airport
in
Wiscons
in
.
It isn t
too
often you ll
have
the opportunity to see a Howard on
floats, but Dale
Walker
was giving buddy rides in his
during the
Hayward gathering.
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23/44
Joe
Dudley
checks
the oil
level
in his
Howard
DGA.
Jim Lund
logged more
than
17 hours
on
NC53386
during
the past year.
AI Lund and his family generously hosted
the annual Howard gathering
for
an af-
ternoon
of
fun
and refreshments
at their
lakefront home.
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Dale Walker s
Howard
taxis into AI Lund s quiet and private
cove.
Ron
and Ellen Rippon s
handsome
Howard
DGA touches
down
at Cable Union Airport.
Paul
Bjornstad s
1944
ex·military Howard (GH
·
2)
was
th
e am ·
bulance
version (with the multipurpose door).
has recently discovered
the
joy of flying
one
of his
fa-
ther's Howards.
Pleasures and hallenges
Jim
Lund has been flying for only three years, but
in
the past year, he's logged 170
hours
flight time in
NCS3386, a 1943
ex-military Howard
DGA-1SP.
He
welcomed
the
transition from flying a Super Cub
and
a Husky
to
flying
the
larger Howard,
and
wears a con
stant smile on his face when he talks about it. Our fly-
ing partner
and
mechanic, Doug
Erby
checked me
out
in the Howard on a grass strip here in Wisconsin,
and
we
went
around a
bunch
of times unti l I was comfort
able with it. I felt confident when I soloed; it's a good,
solid airplane,
and
I wasn t going
to
hurt it. The most
challenging part of flying a Howard is the landings; I
make
wheel
landings
because I feel it's easier
on the
airplane,
and I
can
grease it
in
and very
seldom
get
a
bounce
out of it. I've flown around Minnesota and
Wisconsin
in
it so far
and
made one trip
out
to Aspen,
Colorado, last fall. He heartily endorses not only the
airplane, but the Howard Aircraft Foundation
as
well,
and encourages others to join, and get to know these
people
and
network with
them to
learn more about
the
airplane
and the
available resources.
Paul Bjornstad of Tennessee echoes Lund's feeling
about belonging to the
Howard Foundation. It's im
portant,
simply
because it's
imperative
that we pre
serve
these beautiful old
airplanes. It's a
good
thing
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The
front
two Howards are owned by
Leroy
Peterson and
Mike
Vaughan
.
Right
:
The Telemark Lodge
is nestled
between
a golf
course and runway amidst the evergreen -covered
hillsides near Cable, Wisconsin.
that
I've ever seen. As for useful load, anything we
put in
it, it'll haul it with ease. It's a little bit harder to land in
a crosswind because of the flat bulky side on it, but with
good crosswind technique, it's a good-handling airplane.
I make wheel landings because I have better visibility
that
way, and
the
airplane seems to like it better. Dud
ley flies his ex-military Howard DGA-15P regularly from
his
home
base in Oklahoma to fly-ins across the coun
try, including Sun
n
Fun Fly-In in Florida;
the
Antique
Aircraft Association's fly-in in Blakesburg, Iowa; and EAA
AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. After all, flying cross
country in a Howard
is
a comfortable, fast ride-Dudley s
aircraft generally averages about 160 mph.
Care and Feeding
Mike Vaughan
and
his family (of Illinois) were look
ing for an airplane that would carry them all comfort
ably
and have good
range,
decent
speed,
and plenty
of
room for baggage. Their civilian Howard DGA-15P
meets all those expectations for them. lilt's very com
fortable in the air,
and my
son, Iven,
switches
seats
back
and
forth all
the
time
on
a long trip.
As
far as fly-
ing it, oh, I love it It's easy to fly; landings can
be
chal
lenging at times,
but not bad-it s
a typical tailwheel
airplane. The Howard
is
one
of
the
finest aircraft that
I've ever
had the
privilege to
fly, and
I feel very lucky
uperfljte
NO.1
ING
SYST M
~
YINTAGE
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e a r f a m n ~
NASA
isgoing to beat OON nFUN
cant
wait
ove}
Your
Pilot
In
Comman
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HARLIE
H
ARRIS
OVer the weekend
of
September 6 1 7 ~ 2 5 ~ the lI th annual Tulsa Fly In held in
B a r t l e s v i l l e ~
O k l a h o m a ~
was blessed with great weather and a bumper crop of beau-
tiful airplanes. An added bonus was a special visit
by
Brig. Gen David Lee c 7 e x ~ ~ H i I I ~
World War
I I
triple ace
and one of the most prominent members of the famous
China based Flying Tigers
as
commanded
by
Gen Clair Chennault.
More
than
a dozen forums were held during the weekend f l y i n ~ and a relaxing on-
the field dinner was
served and eltioyed
both
Friday and Saturday night. L e t ~ s
take
a look at the highlights of the fly in.
Best
ClassIc: 1946 Piper PA-12 Super
Cl1Iiser
- NC92592
Scott Haggenmacher
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Best Contemporary:
1957 Piper PA-22-15O - N7432D
Joe Black
Texas
Best
Experimental:
2004 1935)
Waco UMF-S
-
NX14377
John
Hudec
Collinsville,
Oklahoma
Best Warbird
2003
Scout
Experimental SE.Sa -
N12SQB
Jack
C.
Kearbey
Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Barney Petersen of Collinsville, Oklahoma, is well-known for his
Fokker
DV.II WWI fighter. This ircr ft has been flown llover
the
United States for various appearances
and
fly-ins. Both his ircr ft and Kearbey's
SE.5a
Scout
appeared in the movie he Aviator.
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John
and
Kathy
McMurray
o
Burkburnett
Texas,
and their
grand champion level Lus
combe 8-E that was the pro
totype 8-E.
John
is a retired
U.S. Air Force
colonel
and is
at
present
flying with
the
Red
Baron
Steannan team.
Brian Launder
arriving in
his
1937 SR-9E Stin
son
Gullwing.
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This exquisite 1977 Meyers Little Toot is 28 years old and looks new as tomorrow.
It has
remained
in designer George Meyer s
family for
nearly
30 years.
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The
Swift contingent
was
out
in
big
numbers.
This
is
Mark
Holliday s
polished
210
Swift.
Mark
is
from Lake
Elmo,
Minnesota.
Few
fly-ins are privileged to
host
an airplane as
rare as
Dave Wheaton s 1945
NAA
B-25J
artha
Jean Dave
and
his airplane
are
based
at Tulsa s Riverside Airport
and have
attended
the
D0o
little Raiders
Reunion
on a
number
of
occasions.
hese are the irst tools you need to buy
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E.E. BUCK HIL ERT
More
tooling around
I'm still on the proper use of tools.
I know I'm preaching to the choir in
many cases, because I've gotten feed-
back from some of our readers. Most
of them are older friends who, like
myself, apprenticed or learned from
"old guys"
we
worked with and for
Man sure is inventive. I can just
imagine an early Neanderthal man
hitting
something
with his fist.
Ouch,
that
hurts
So
the next time
he hits something, he takes a rock in
his hand and bangs with it. The rock,
not his hand, takes
the
beating.
Next he uses a heavier rock. Then
he somehow finds that if the rock
has a pOinted end, it will do more
damage or
help break
something
more easily.
He
has already
discovered the
Lever. After
some
cogitation
and
several failures,
he
succeeds
in
at-
taching the lever (handle ) to the
rock,
and
now he has a primitive
axe.
To
pulverize
things
,
he
then
uses that same handle and a flat
rock; now he has a hammer.
The hammer hasn't changed too
up on the handle
of
his hammer,
trying to literally push
the
nails into
the work.
The
Swede finally called
the
guy over
and
said, "Give me that
hammer. He
then
took his
hand-
saw and cut the handle off the ham-
mer
and handed
it back to
him.
What did you do that for?" the guy
asked. "Well, you weren't using all
that handle, so I just cut it off to get
it out of your way."
After that seminar there followed
lessons
on
how
to properly
use a
hammer. I
learned something
that
day as well, and every time I pick up
a
hammer
I find myself remember-
ing that day, and the lesson learned.
That old Swede is long gone,
but the
houses he built are still there and so
are
the
memories.
The lesson: The lever gives the
tool its
advantage
. From
the
cave-
man 's axe
to the
pickaxe
to
all those
specialized hammers, the lever prin-
cipal multiplies
the
force
in doing
the work. One needs only to use that
leverage to his advantage.
We don't use too many hammers
ting somewhere. We
could
chisel ,
punch
holes, shave material off an
object
to
make something usable out
of it, and even bore holes.
By
shaping the chisel, we
could
carve, split,
cut
grooves, make bet-
ter handles out of wood for our tools,
and even make utensils.
I
don't
know when the
knife
came into being, but here was an-
other tool that
could
serve
many
uses. Coupled with the hammer, it 's
now an axe or a cleaver. It could be
used for scraping, cutting, or hack-
ing, as a weapon, or as an aid in cut-
ting
not
only
the meat
to
eat, but
also
the
wood to do the cooking .
We 're on a roll now.
Put two knives
together
com-
bined with
two levers
working
against one another, and we have
a scissors. If we design
them
to
do
a specific job, we can cut leather
or paper.
Change
them a bit more,
and we
can
even
cut metal.
Now
we have sheet metal snips. Change
it
a
bit
more,
and
we have shears,
to do all sorts of jobs. We can cut
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Chuck Mattraw
Red
lodge,
MT
• Flew
an
A I Skyraider
and
A 4
Skyhawk
in the Navy in
Vietnam
1963-/968
• NASA research support
pilot
, 1974-/976
• Flew
for
TWA and
retired
from
U Airways
"The personnel at U are a pleasure to work with.
They answer my questions promptly
and
provide the best
insurance for the price. I couldn't be more satisfied."
- Chuck Mattraw
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DOUG STEW RT
Isn t
this
fun?
The pilot in the left seat beside me looked
both
ways,
yoke.
As
we approached the 13S-degree point of the turn,
clearing the area, and, after doing so, started to pitch up
the pilot started a slow roll out of the bank. I noticed the
and roll
into
a
turn
toward the Catskill Mountains, off
rudder deflection was decreasing in direct correlation with
to the west. In the distance, off our wing, a ski area stood the increase in airspeed as we continued our dive. With a
out, its white trails engraved
on
the side of a mountain.
little less than 10 degrees left before
we
had completed 180
Through the first 4S degrees of our tum, the pilot had been degrees of turn, the pilot started adding just a subtle bit of
slowly increasing the pitch and
forward pressure to the yoke.
the bank. We were now banked
As the ski area came abeam
The only way the nose
about 30 degrees,
and
the nose
the
wing opposite where it had
had
pitched up enough that if
been at the start of the maneu
of the airplane would
we kept increasing the pitch, we
ver, I noted we were back at the
would probably stall.
same altitude and airspeed as
we
have stayed up
was if
The pitch did not increase,
had been when we started this
but rather, the pilot maintained
maneuver. The pilot now con
the pilot had added
the pitch right where it was as tinued the same maneuver all
we continued our climb, slowly
over again,
but
this time in the
losing airspeed. The bank, too,
just a bit more back
opposite direction
as
before.
stayed constant at 30 degrees.
It was a mirror image of the
I noticed the pilot was
adding
pressure As it
was
previous climbing and descend
more
and
more right rudder as
ing l80-degree
turn.
As
we
we slowed down, to counter
the
the stall warning horn
reached
the
90-degree point of
increasing left-turning tenden
the turn we were at
the
same
cies. I
was
glad the controls were
was intermittently
altitude as the prior
turn and
coordinated. If we stalled now, within S knots of the same air
without
all that
right
rudder,
honking as the nose
speed. Again the nose of the air
we d spin
for
sure.
plane sliced
down
through the
The pilot also continued to
started its drop
horizon
as the ski area swung
pull back on the control yoke. past. At the completion
of
the
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perhaps one of the most fun to obtain. I often teach these
maneuvers to clients who are undergoing their FAA Wings
training. But why wait until you're working
on
the certifi
cate or undergoing training to learn them?
Because they're
fun.
And more importantly, because
they will teach you so much about energy management,
about the decay of flight controls
as
you slow down, and
about coordination of your flight controls
as
you take your
airplane out toward the corners of its operational enve
lope. They will also get your attention out of
the
cockpit,
forcing you to divide your thoughts between numerous
things while teaching you
to
recognize
and
rely
on the
seat of your pants to help you
fly
through the maneuvers.
Take
the chandelle, for example. It
is
a maximum-per
formance, climbing, l80-degree turn.
At
the
start of
the
maneuver you roll into a 30-degree banked turn, add max
imum climb power, and start pitching up. At the 90-degree
paint
of the
turn
you
should
have reached
your
maxi
mum
pitch attitude, which you will now maintain un
til the completion of
the
turn.
If
you haven't pitched up
enough, you won't get high or slow enough by the end of
the maneuver.
On
the other hand,
if
you have pitched too
steeply, you'll stall before completing the turn .
From the 90 to the 180, you slowly roll out, timing the
rollout so
that
you just finish
the turn as
you
hit
180 de
grees. If you don't roll, slowly and continuously, from the
90 to
the
180, you might have to increase
the
roll rate
at
the end
of the turn. On
the
other
hand,
if you roll
too
quickly, you won't complete 180 degrees of turn.
And
as
you're trying to judge
the
roll rate
to
make it
just right, you also have
to
deal with an elevator that
is
getting increasingly less effective
as
you slow down.
So
you'll have to be pulling back
on
the stick more and more
to maintain the pitch attitude achieved at the 90-degree
point
as
you complete the turn.
You
also have to be adding
more and more right rudder.
You'll
be carrying maximum
power, pitched up fairly steeply, and constantly decelerat
ing. Don't be surprised to find the rudder maxed o
ut
at the
completion of the turn.
When
the chandelle
is
done right, the stall
warning
should be blaring and the first signs of a buffet should be
apparent. Now you have
to
resume your original cruise
where you
enter
a
turn
in the opposite direction about
another pylon.
What determines your pivotal altitude (the altitude
re
quired to keep the reference paint
on
your wing pointed to
the reference
on
the ground)
is
your groundspeed. Thus,
if
there
is
any wind blowing, you will have to climb
as
your
groundspeed increases with a tail wind and descend with a
head wind. The turns will
not
be a constant radius around
the pylon, but an ellipsis, again, if there
is
any wind.
One of the challenges
is
to
not
cheat with your feet, try
ing to
keep the wing on the pylon with the use of your
rudder. The maneuver
is to be flown with the controls co
ordinated. One easy way to th ink about it
is
tha t if the py
lon
is
moving
back
behind
the
wing reference, you will
need to
pull back on
the
yoke (this will
happen as the
wind shifts to a tail wind), and if the pylon
is
moving for
ward (as you turn into the head wind), push forward on
the yoke. Simple instructions from simple folk like me.
All three of these maneuvers offer much to be learned.
Even if you have no inclination to gain your commercial
certificate, learning these maneuvers will go a long way in
making you a better pilot.
So
go
out and
have some fun!
Isn't
that
what it's all about?
Doug Stewart is
the
2 4 National CFI
the
YeaT a
Mas-
ter Instructor and a DPE. He
operates
DSFI Inc.
(www.dsflight.
com)
based at the
Columbia
County
Airport 1B1).
.......
ERO
CL SSIC
COLLECTOR SERIES
Vintage ires
New USA Production
Show off
yo
ur pride a
nd
joy with a
fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These
newly minted tires
ar
e FAA-TSO'd
and spee
d rated
to 120
MPH.
Some
things are better left th e way they
were, and in th e
40
's and 50's, these tires were perfectly in
tune
to
the exciting times in aviation.
Not onl y
do
th
ese
tires set your vintage plane apart from
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8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2006
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BY H.G.
FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTH'S
MYSTERY
PLANE COMES TO US FROM
THE
EAA LIBRARY'S
GARNER
P. "EMY" EMERSON COLLECTION. WE VE GOT A NUMBER
OF
PHOTOS IN
THAT
ALBUM
THAT MAKE GREAT MYSTERY PLANES.
I
LOOK
FORWARD
TO YOUR REPLIES.
Send your answer to EAA Vintage
Airplane
P.
O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs
to be in no later th n March 10 for
inclusion in
the
May 2006 issue of
Vintage
AirpLane.
You can also send your response
via e-mail. Send your nswer to
mysterypLane@eaa org
Be sure
to
include your name, city, nd state
in the body of your note, and put
I/(Month) Mystery Plane in
the
subject line.
NOVEMBER ' S
MYSTERY
ANSWER
The
November
Mystery
Plane
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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HOMEBUILDER WORKSHOP
March 4-5
Corona, CA
March 11-12
i ~ ~
also
from the
Emy
Emerson
Col-
lection, brought
forth
a
number
of
letters. Here's a letter (with photos)
from Charles F Schultz of
Louis-
ville, Kentucky.
The November Mystery Plane
is
the Stelling Amphibian bu
il
t by the
Cox-Klemin Aircraft Corp. in the
1920s. I am enclosing
cop
ies of sev
eral photographs that were given
to
me many years ago by Mr. Joubert
Juby (pronounced you-bee) Lind
strom, who was a draftsman with
Cox -Klemin in the 1920s. He did not
remember what the N. V.A. meant
on the rudder and doubted if there
was
ever
a No.2.
The plane appears
to
have been
a three-place job, and you will no
tice in the picture
with
the men
grouped
t
the l
eft
th t
under the
lower wing floats have been fitted .
As
for
the picture
of
the plane in the
water, it is not known if this was a
test run or a picture
of
a
t keoff
or
landing. I hope some of our fellow
members can fill us in on the his
tory
of
this plane.
Lynn Towns
of
Holt, Michigan,
sent us a bit more on the Stelling:
I have very little information about
it, but the November Mystery Plane
appears
to
be
the
Stelling Amphibian,
which
was
built by the Cox-Klemin
Aircraft Corp. Cox-Klemin was l
o
cated on Long Island, and the Grum
man Aircraft Engineering
Corp. was
started il January
of
1930 using the
original
Cox-K
lemin factory in Ba l
d
win New York.
I found a good photo of the air
Come
or
the
weekend
BUILD FOR A
LIFETIME
HANDS ON
SCHEDULE
March 4-5 Dallas,TX
• Fabric Covering • Sheet Metal
Bas
i
cs
• Electrical Systems Avionics
• Introduction
to
Aircraft Building
•
Cas
Weld ing
•
RV
Assembly
• Sheet Metal
Basi
cs
• Sheet Metal Basics
• Electrical Systems Avionics
• Introducti on
to
Aircra
ft
Building
• Composite Construct ion
•
Repa
ir
man
LSA
)
In
spect ion- Airplane
•
Rep
airman
L
SA) Inspection- Airplane
• TIC We lding
8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2006
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SILVER
E GLE
continued from p ge
1
while th e city of manufactur
e,
in this
case Wichita, appeared in a
band
di
viding th e diamond horizontally. The
spacing of the L and
the D in
L-A-I
R-D was pretty wide-set at first, caus
ing people to read the insignia
as L.D.
AIRPLANES. While this was undesir
able as a trademark, it may well have
been the beginning of the word air
planes, because prior to
that
era (and
still so
in
England), flying machines
were referred to as aeroplanes.
Among the many people to leave a
lasting contribution to aviation history
while with Matty was Clyde Cessna.
Cessna had done some early pioneer
ing
work
in the 1910
era, but
had
concentrated most of his subsequent
efforts on his farm in
Rego
, Kansas.
His interest in aviation was re
awakened by the purchase of a Laird
Swallow in
the
fall of 1923. He later
combined efforts
with
Walter Beech and
Lloyd
Stearman in the Travel Air
Co.
Central to the development of the
aviation business
growing
up
at
Wichita was Matty's partner, Mollen
dick. Mollendick was nuts about
fly
ing and thoroughly sold on it. He was
willing to put his money into foster
ing
it also, but unfortunately, Mol
lendick's business methods reflected
his background as a well digger. He
just wasn't happy unless he was ham
mering away at something in
the air
plane business, and unfortunately, he
didn t always know how to go about
it. One by one, through
those
early
Laird Speedwing STD): three-place, open-cockpit, powered y Wright Whirl
wind
330-hp
engine.
pany in 1923, taking with him two
Laird Swallows as
part payment
for
his business interest. Leaving Wich
ita, he flew them
down to St. Louis for
the
National A
ir
Races. Entering sev
eral even ts, he then carried passengers
at the conclusion of the air meet.
He sold the Hispano-Suiza -pow
ered Laird
and
flew the OX-powered
airplane back
to
Chicago. There,
he
operated it commercially,
carrying
passengers
and
flying photographers
to
special events.
Through these
ef
forts
he
was able
to
capitalize a new
manufacturing
plant in
Chicago.
Here, he produced a new line of com
mercial planes, starting
with
OX-S
powerplants
and
progressing through
the larger Wright and Pratt & Whit
ney radials,
synonymous
with Laird
airplanes in succeeding years.
After Matty left
Wichita,
Walter
Beech and Lloyd Stearman remained
with Jack Mollendick to bring out
the Single-bay Swallow. They contin
changes to
the
aviation business.
Among them,
and most
Significant,
was the Air Commerce Act of 1926,
requiring certification
of
pilots, air
craft,
and
manufacturers. Reflecting
the
thoughts of most in the indus
try, Matty felt it
had
come
at
a bad
time, just when business was really
in
the growing stages. It did
nothing
for the
manufactur
ers, other
than
provide them
with
orders for a cou
ple of aircraft. Complying with these
regulations
cost
th
e
industr
y
many
thousands and thousa nds of dollars.
Particularly exasperating for all the
factories was the requirement to sub
mit a stress analysis on airframes, as
there were
only
a few
persons out
side the Bureau , or within the mil
itary manufacturing complexes,
capable of performing the analytical
work involved.
Matty had long been a believer
of testing
subassemblies of his air
craft with various
loading
tests. He
8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2006
39/44
of Commerce's Engineering Depart
ment. Finally, Heinrich was able to
learn
enough from the
others
to
complete the job and satisfy
ATC
re
quirements for
the
LCBs, LC-R,
and
other special models.
The late '20s brought racing and
record-setting activities into prom
inence as the barnstormers strove
for new sources of income and no
toriety. Matty's airplanes, including
the Junior Speedwings, Speedwings,
Solution,
and
Super Solution, were
consistently among the fastest air
planes of the
day. Excellent pilots
who
flew them were such person
alities as
E.E.
Ballough, Speed Hol
man, Bill Brock, Jimmy Doolittle,
Red Jackson, and Matty.
Characteristically,
Laird
planes
were
known
for
their
ruggedness,
light weight, high speeds, and out
standing
finishes. Consequently,
they
were widely copied in the in
dustry. Many of the
people
who
later started
their own
manufactur
ing concerns found
their
interest
stimulated...one of whom was Maj.
Alexander de Seversky.
Matty's
company capitalization
did not
permit becoming
involved
in quantity production. His airplanes
were largely custom-built, with an ar
rangement that provided him a par
tial payment for the aircraft through
several stages of completion. His cus
tomers
were largely oilmen,
pub
lishers, and industrialists
who
were
interested in owning lithe thorough
bred of the airways. When Dickinson
secured the contract for the Chicago
Gathering of Howards
continued from
p ge
3
perspective on owning and operat
ing a Howard,
noting
with
a laugh,
liThe cost
of
operation is
outra
geous, and they're a beast to clean.
We gals get the cleanup duty Seri
ously, we've really always enjoyed
the Howard just because of its mas
sive size, the sound
of
that Pratt
Whitney 985, and all of the load it
can
carry." Her
husband,
Dennis,
says, As soon as she gets out
of
the
airplane after a flight, she
is
check
ing what needs to be cleaned,
or
al
ready has a cleaning cloth in hand
and is
at
it. I
have to
make
her
stop
Very few
people
, even pilots, real
ize
how much time is spent getting
these big guys ready
to show
off."
Howard
Aircraft
Founda t ion and
Type Certificates
Members
of
the Howard club of
fiCially formed the Howard Aircraft
Foundation
in 1999 to
acquire
as
sets such as Howard type certificates.
Moore
exp
lains that the
previous
president, Dave Schober, initially got
the Foundation going and still hosts
the
Howard website. Soon thereaf
ter, Moore was encouraged to be
come involved,
and he
and his wife,
Barbara, agreed to accept responsi
bility for
the
club newsletter. He's
been
president of
the
Foundation
since 2002 and notes that during the
group's first
gathering
in Wisconsin
three years ago, lilt came
up
that the
course, the Howard Aircraft specifi
cation documents
are
public
infor
mation and available online; they
have recently been updated to re
flect
the Howard
Aircraft Founda
tion as the
type
certificate holder.
We
curre