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GREATER THAN EXPECTED

By E E Buck Hilbert President EAA Antique-Classic Division

Oshkosh 73 is now history Total show aircraft attendance was 1120 Antiques 173 Classics 406 Warbirds 100 Custom Builts 391 Rotary Wing 29 and Special 21

Considering the fact that 1973 was just the second year that the AntiqueClassicDivision has hanshydled the program and parking for the old airplanes things went well Everyone seemed to be having a good time But the fun is over and its time to start looking ahead to next year - and how we can make our part of the 1974 Oshkosh Fly-In even better

Looks like we in the Antique-Classic Division have some work cut out for us There is need to reshyfine all the areas such as parking awards forums and activities If the figures tell even part of the truth then escalating attendance will necessitate King Size plans for next year

The Classic Airplane awards categories must be expanded There were many deserving airplanes and we were too limited in the number of awards

Classic Airplane parking was too far from the center of things The Forums were well accepted attendance was excellent but there is need for expansion Perhaps the Type Clubs could expand and improve upon this area

Fly-bys could have been better Daily times must be allocated and coordination between the type clubs to organize and regulate the traffic

Ollies Woods should have been utilized also Next year well have us a Corn and Burger bust down there if we can get help cleaning up afterwards And speaking of cleaning up you guys did a wonshyderful job Oh there were a few oily rags and cans plus some cigarette packages but overall it was real good housekeeping

OK Youve heard my feeling on where we came up short now its your turn Drop us a letter and let us know how you felt about the Convention and your ideas for improvement A few comments on our publications new look might be applicable too

2

I~f ~ ~IAbf ARPlA~f

VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 9 AUGUST 1973

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Antiques And Classics At Oshkosh Jack Cox 4 Grand Champion Eaglerock Bill Hodges 10 A Family Of Dope (Butyrate) Add icts Dr Chester Martin 12 The Death Of A Tri-Motor Paul Poberezny 14 Thaden T-2 Jack Cox 16 Whatever Happened To The Invincible Center Wing 17 Around The AntiqueClassic World 18

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUE-CLASSIC DIVISION Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division is open to all EAA members who have a special

interest in the older aircraft that are a proud part of our aviation heritage Membership in the AntiqueshyClassic Division is $1000 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters Each member will a lso receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for ones spouse or other designated family member

Membership in EAA is $1500 per year which includes 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION All memshy~ership correspondence should be addressed to EAA Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher shy Paul H Poberezny Assistant Editor shy Gene Chase

ON THE COVER 1973 EAA Grand Champimiddot on Antique a 1929 Alexander Eaglerock

Pho to by Ted Koston

Ed itor shy Jack Cox Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox

BACK COVER Dick Bowers Meyers MACshy145

Photo by Ted Koston

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTshyE E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD UNION ILLINOIS 60180

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS WIS 53148

VICE PRESIDENT J R NIELANDER JR P O BOX 2464 FT LAUDERDALE FLA

TREASURER NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD ROCKFORD ILL 61 102

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE EAA HEADQUARTERS

33303

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclUSively by Ant ique Classic Aircraft Inc and is publ ished monthly at Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Second Class Perm it pending at Hales Corners Post Office Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Membership rates for Antique ClaSSic Ai rcraft Inc are $1000 per 12 month period of which $700 is for the subscription to THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE All Ant ique Classic Ai rcraft Inc members are required to be members of t he parent organization the Experimental Aircraft Association Membership is open to all who are interested in av iation

Postmaster Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft Inc Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

Copyright 1973 Ant ique Classic Aircraft Inc All Rights Reservpd

3

ANTIQUES AND CLASSICS AT OSHKOSH

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

By Jack Cox

1973 was a vintage year at Oshkosh pun inshytended

The 406 Classics and 173 Antiq ues registered and eligible for judging represented the greatest number of vintage aircraft ever assembled on one airport of which we are aware Thats all I intend to say about the imshypressive NUMBERS because it was the quality of the aircraft and the variety that blew the mind of this obshyserver

1973 Antique Judges Back row left to right Doug Rounds of Zebulon Georgia Ed Sanders of Ft Worth Texas Evander Britt Chairman of Lumberton N C and Kelly Viets of Stilwell Kansas Kneeling at the left Pete Covington of Spencer Virginia and at the right Dusty Rhodes of Denver Colorado

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) President Buck Hilbert right and Roger Davshyenport at the awards presentation program

ANTIQUES

First lets consider the antiques and the incredible variety on hand How does a dyed-in-the-wool vintage airplane nut restrain himself when on the same field he can inspect photograph and generally drool all over an Alexander Eaglerock no less than 12 Staggerwings shyDs Fs and Gs a Buecker Jungmann a C-165 Airshymaster and three Bamboo Bombers a real live Curtiss Fledgling a very rare Davis V-3 a Dart GC three Tiger Moths a KR-21 and a raft of later Fairchilds a Fleet II Ford Tri-Motor Franklin Sport the first Henderson powered Heath to fly at Oshkosh two Great Lakes two Howard DGAs (II and 15P) Interstate L-4 Lockheed Vega 5C two Meyers OTWs a Miles Hawk three Monoshycoupes a Porterfield CP-65 two Rearwins (Cloudster and Sportster) Ryans - STA SCW STM-PT-22 ST3 Spartans - a C-3 and two Executives Stearmans and Stinsons the sole Vultee VI-A a rare Welch and of course a dozen Wacos

This year an unusual number of little pre-War lightshyplanes were registered in the Antique lists There were 12 Aeroncas including two Ks three Culver Cadets a genuine antique Ercoupe an updraft cooled Funk 9 preshyWar Luscombes and would you believe 28 pre-1945 Pipers These included a J-2 3 J-4 Coupes and a nice little J-5-A (which the writer had the immense pleasure of flying) - the rest were J-3s This was completely separate from the 62 Pipers in the Classic area Last shybut only in alphabetical order - were the Taylorcrafts When have you seen L-2s BL-12s BC-12s BC-65s BL-65s and DC-65s on the same field Along with the BC-12Ds and Model 19s in the Classic area you could practically experience the entire history of the prolific Taylorcraft company without leaving the field

(Photo by Ted Koston) Best Class III Classic - Cessna 195 owned by Raybourne Thompson Jr of Houston Texas

4

The quality of the restorations was such that this writer was moved to mutter several prayers of solemn gratitude that he was not an Antique or Classic judge The Awards List at the end of this article will show the choices of the judges and Bill Hodges has a story on the Grand Champion Eaglerock elsewhere in this issue howshyever there are a few capsule comments I would like to bring to your attention

- The 5-AT-C Ford Tri-Motor at the fly-in this year was 01 414H - back on the barnstorming circuit once again In the early 60s the old Corrugated Cloud lashybored from sunup to nearly midnight carrying passenshygers at the EAA Fly-Ins then held at Rockford It was owned by Johri Louck who now mans the Information Booth at Oshkosh each year John later sold the Ford to American Airlines who displayed it at the New York Worlds Fair (causing an erroneous report of vandalism to the plane) before taking it home to Tulsa It and a second Ford N-9683 languished there at Americans overhaul facility for several years but both are now gone N-9683 was delivered to the Smithsonian during Transpo 72 and 414H was sold to Chuck LeMasters 414H is also responsible for the EAA Air Museum having a BT-13 One summer at Rockford the Ford blew an engine and John Louck bought a BT-13 to get the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney After installing the engine and returning the Ford to service John donated the BT-13 air frame to the Air Museum It was later restored by the Air Guard unit in Milwaukee and is airworthy today

- Al Kelch of Mequon Wisconsin a north-side subshyurb of Milwaukee figured to have one of the shortest and most routine flights to Oshkosh in his rare 1932 Franklin Sport 90 It was not to be After watching his private strip disappear over the horizon behind him it was just a matter of listening to the little Lambert droning away up front and an occasional squint ahead for a glimpse of big Lake Winnebago Suddenly the fuel tank split wide open dumping the entire fuel load Al masterfully deadshysticked into a farmers small field called ahead for help got the tank repaired and was soon on his way to the flyshyin without further incident This was an everyday afshyfair in the early 30s flying these forced -landings for a little unscheduled maintenance Our modern aircraft have more reliable engines and are generally less troubleshysome its a good thing too given our higher landing speeds small tires and scant few inches of prop clearance Weve improved all right but when you hear of an exshyperience like AIs you wonder if we have given up too much that was good in the old airplanes

- Another antique owner having an interesting flight to Oshkosh was Dick Austin of Greensboro N C He and sons David Andy and Jeff punched through the stationary front that seems to inevitably hang over the Appalachins every year at fly-in time and came out with the scars to prove it really doesnt pay to fool with Mother Nature The leading edges of his Waco ARE were peeled down to silver by a rainstorm encountered in eastern Kentucky Knowing he was out of contention for major awards Dick forged on anyway thus giving fly-in

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class II Classic - Cessna 140 owned by Dutch Brafford of Lima Ohio

(Photos-by Lee Fray)

Cliff Anderson of Bloomington Minnesota and his PreshyWorld War II Era Category Champion a 1941 Stinson 10A Notice the N number

5

goers a chance to see the only ARE This 330 hp Jacobs powered beauty has been out of circulation for many years most recently as a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection in South Carolina N-20953 was built on special order for the N ew York Times as a photo ship It still has the large plate glass windows on the right side of the cabin Interestingly several former owners (subsequent to the Times) and pilots came by and introduced themselves to Dick helping to unravel the rich fabric of this magnificent cabin Wacos existence

- Since there was a fly-in at Wittman Field the first week in August John Turgyan was there in his big beaushytiful Howard DGA-15P And being there all the way from the wilds ofNu Joisey it was only natural that he flew at every opportunity John loves to show off the pershyformance of his Howard especially its little known slow flight capabilities One of the most incredible sights of the 1973 Oshkosh Fly-In was John flaps down nose high and lots of power flying down the entire display area right off the wing of a Breezy

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Best Open Cockpit Silver Age - a KR-21 owned by Ron Nash of South Bend Indiana

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Biplane World War II Era - a PT-27 owned by Richard Hanson of Batavia Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Mooney Mite - owned by Frank Poplawski of Ennis Texas

6

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

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~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

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VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 9 AUGUST 1973

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Antiques And Classics At Oshkosh Jack Cox 4 Grand Champion Eaglerock Bill Hodges 10 A Family Of Dope (Butyrate) Add icts Dr Chester Martin 12 The Death Of A Tri-Motor Paul Poberezny 14 Thaden T-2 Jack Cox 16 Whatever Happened To The Invincible Center Wing 17 Around The AntiqueClassic World 18

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUE-CLASSIC DIVISION Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division is open to all EAA members who have a special

interest in the older aircraft that are a proud part of our aviation heritage Membership in the AntiqueshyClassic Division is $1000 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters Each member will a lso receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for ones spouse or other designated family member

Membership in EAA is $1500 per year which includes 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION All memshy~ership correspondence should be addressed to EAA Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher shy Paul H Poberezny Assistant Editor shy Gene Chase

ON THE COVER 1973 EAA Grand Champimiddot on Antique a 1929 Alexander Eaglerock

Pho to by Ted Koston

Ed itor shy Jack Cox Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox

BACK COVER Dick Bowers Meyers MACshy145

Photo by Ted Koston

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTshyE E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD UNION ILLINOIS 60180

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS WIS 53148

VICE PRESIDENT J R NIELANDER JR P O BOX 2464 FT LAUDERDALE FLA

TREASURER NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD ROCKFORD ILL 61 102

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE EAA HEADQUARTERS

33303

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclUSively by Ant ique Classic Aircraft Inc and is publ ished monthly at Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Second Class Perm it pending at Hales Corners Post Office Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Membership rates for Antique ClaSSic Ai rcraft Inc are $1000 per 12 month period of which $700 is for the subscription to THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE All Ant ique Classic Ai rcraft Inc members are required to be members of t he parent organization the Experimental Aircraft Association Membership is open to all who are interested in av iation

Postmaster Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft Inc Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

Copyright 1973 Ant ique Classic Aircraft Inc All Rights Reservpd

3

ANTIQUES AND CLASSICS AT OSHKOSH

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

By Jack Cox

1973 was a vintage year at Oshkosh pun inshytended

The 406 Classics and 173 Antiq ues registered and eligible for judging represented the greatest number of vintage aircraft ever assembled on one airport of which we are aware Thats all I intend to say about the imshypressive NUMBERS because it was the quality of the aircraft and the variety that blew the mind of this obshyserver

1973 Antique Judges Back row left to right Doug Rounds of Zebulon Georgia Ed Sanders of Ft Worth Texas Evander Britt Chairman of Lumberton N C and Kelly Viets of Stilwell Kansas Kneeling at the left Pete Covington of Spencer Virginia and at the right Dusty Rhodes of Denver Colorado

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) President Buck Hilbert right and Roger Davshyenport at the awards presentation program

ANTIQUES

First lets consider the antiques and the incredible variety on hand How does a dyed-in-the-wool vintage airplane nut restrain himself when on the same field he can inspect photograph and generally drool all over an Alexander Eaglerock no less than 12 Staggerwings shyDs Fs and Gs a Buecker Jungmann a C-165 Airshymaster and three Bamboo Bombers a real live Curtiss Fledgling a very rare Davis V-3 a Dart GC three Tiger Moths a KR-21 and a raft of later Fairchilds a Fleet II Ford Tri-Motor Franklin Sport the first Henderson powered Heath to fly at Oshkosh two Great Lakes two Howard DGAs (II and 15P) Interstate L-4 Lockheed Vega 5C two Meyers OTWs a Miles Hawk three Monoshycoupes a Porterfield CP-65 two Rearwins (Cloudster and Sportster) Ryans - STA SCW STM-PT-22 ST3 Spartans - a C-3 and two Executives Stearmans and Stinsons the sole Vultee VI-A a rare Welch and of course a dozen Wacos

This year an unusual number of little pre-War lightshyplanes were registered in the Antique lists There were 12 Aeroncas including two Ks three Culver Cadets a genuine antique Ercoupe an updraft cooled Funk 9 preshyWar Luscombes and would you believe 28 pre-1945 Pipers These included a J-2 3 J-4 Coupes and a nice little J-5-A (which the writer had the immense pleasure of flying) - the rest were J-3s This was completely separate from the 62 Pipers in the Classic area Last shybut only in alphabetical order - were the Taylorcrafts When have you seen L-2s BL-12s BC-12s BC-65s BL-65s and DC-65s on the same field Along with the BC-12Ds and Model 19s in the Classic area you could practically experience the entire history of the prolific Taylorcraft company without leaving the field

(Photo by Ted Koston) Best Class III Classic - Cessna 195 owned by Raybourne Thompson Jr of Houston Texas

4

The quality of the restorations was such that this writer was moved to mutter several prayers of solemn gratitude that he was not an Antique or Classic judge The Awards List at the end of this article will show the choices of the judges and Bill Hodges has a story on the Grand Champion Eaglerock elsewhere in this issue howshyever there are a few capsule comments I would like to bring to your attention

- The 5-AT-C Ford Tri-Motor at the fly-in this year was 01 414H - back on the barnstorming circuit once again In the early 60s the old Corrugated Cloud lashybored from sunup to nearly midnight carrying passenshygers at the EAA Fly-Ins then held at Rockford It was owned by Johri Louck who now mans the Information Booth at Oshkosh each year John later sold the Ford to American Airlines who displayed it at the New York Worlds Fair (causing an erroneous report of vandalism to the plane) before taking it home to Tulsa It and a second Ford N-9683 languished there at Americans overhaul facility for several years but both are now gone N-9683 was delivered to the Smithsonian during Transpo 72 and 414H was sold to Chuck LeMasters 414H is also responsible for the EAA Air Museum having a BT-13 One summer at Rockford the Ford blew an engine and John Louck bought a BT-13 to get the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney After installing the engine and returning the Ford to service John donated the BT-13 air frame to the Air Museum It was later restored by the Air Guard unit in Milwaukee and is airworthy today

- Al Kelch of Mequon Wisconsin a north-side subshyurb of Milwaukee figured to have one of the shortest and most routine flights to Oshkosh in his rare 1932 Franklin Sport 90 It was not to be After watching his private strip disappear over the horizon behind him it was just a matter of listening to the little Lambert droning away up front and an occasional squint ahead for a glimpse of big Lake Winnebago Suddenly the fuel tank split wide open dumping the entire fuel load Al masterfully deadshysticked into a farmers small field called ahead for help got the tank repaired and was soon on his way to the flyshyin without further incident This was an everyday afshyfair in the early 30s flying these forced -landings for a little unscheduled maintenance Our modern aircraft have more reliable engines and are generally less troubleshysome its a good thing too given our higher landing speeds small tires and scant few inches of prop clearance Weve improved all right but when you hear of an exshyperience like AIs you wonder if we have given up too much that was good in the old airplanes

- Another antique owner having an interesting flight to Oshkosh was Dick Austin of Greensboro N C He and sons David Andy and Jeff punched through the stationary front that seems to inevitably hang over the Appalachins every year at fly-in time and came out with the scars to prove it really doesnt pay to fool with Mother Nature The leading edges of his Waco ARE were peeled down to silver by a rainstorm encountered in eastern Kentucky Knowing he was out of contention for major awards Dick forged on anyway thus giving fly-in

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class II Classic - Cessna 140 owned by Dutch Brafford of Lima Ohio

(Photos-by Lee Fray)

Cliff Anderson of Bloomington Minnesota and his PreshyWorld War II Era Category Champion a 1941 Stinson 10A Notice the N number

5

goers a chance to see the only ARE This 330 hp Jacobs powered beauty has been out of circulation for many years most recently as a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection in South Carolina N-20953 was built on special order for the N ew York Times as a photo ship It still has the large plate glass windows on the right side of the cabin Interestingly several former owners (subsequent to the Times) and pilots came by and introduced themselves to Dick helping to unravel the rich fabric of this magnificent cabin Wacos existence

- Since there was a fly-in at Wittman Field the first week in August John Turgyan was there in his big beaushytiful Howard DGA-15P And being there all the way from the wilds ofNu Joisey it was only natural that he flew at every opportunity John loves to show off the pershyformance of his Howard especially its little known slow flight capabilities One of the most incredible sights of the 1973 Oshkosh Fly-In was John flaps down nose high and lots of power flying down the entire display area right off the wing of a Breezy

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Best Open Cockpit Silver Age - a KR-21 owned by Ron Nash of South Bend Indiana

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Biplane World War II Era - a PT-27 owned by Richard Hanson of Batavia Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Mooney Mite - owned by Frank Poplawski of Ennis Texas

6

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

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CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

ANTIQUES AND CLASSICS AT OSHKOSH

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

By Jack Cox

1973 was a vintage year at Oshkosh pun inshytended

The 406 Classics and 173 Antiq ues registered and eligible for judging represented the greatest number of vintage aircraft ever assembled on one airport of which we are aware Thats all I intend to say about the imshypressive NUMBERS because it was the quality of the aircraft and the variety that blew the mind of this obshyserver

1973 Antique Judges Back row left to right Doug Rounds of Zebulon Georgia Ed Sanders of Ft Worth Texas Evander Britt Chairman of Lumberton N C and Kelly Viets of Stilwell Kansas Kneeling at the left Pete Covington of Spencer Virginia and at the right Dusty Rhodes of Denver Colorado

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) President Buck Hilbert right and Roger Davshyenport at the awards presentation program

ANTIQUES

First lets consider the antiques and the incredible variety on hand How does a dyed-in-the-wool vintage airplane nut restrain himself when on the same field he can inspect photograph and generally drool all over an Alexander Eaglerock no less than 12 Staggerwings shyDs Fs and Gs a Buecker Jungmann a C-165 Airshymaster and three Bamboo Bombers a real live Curtiss Fledgling a very rare Davis V-3 a Dart GC three Tiger Moths a KR-21 and a raft of later Fairchilds a Fleet II Ford Tri-Motor Franklin Sport the first Henderson powered Heath to fly at Oshkosh two Great Lakes two Howard DGAs (II and 15P) Interstate L-4 Lockheed Vega 5C two Meyers OTWs a Miles Hawk three Monoshycoupes a Porterfield CP-65 two Rearwins (Cloudster and Sportster) Ryans - STA SCW STM-PT-22 ST3 Spartans - a C-3 and two Executives Stearmans and Stinsons the sole Vultee VI-A a rare Welch and of course a dozen Wacos

This year an unusual number of little pre-War lightshyplanes were registered in the Antique lists There were 12 Aeroncas including two Ks three Culver Cadets a genuine antique Ercoupe an updraft cooled Funk 9 preshyWar Luscombes and would you believe 28 pre-1945 Pipers These included a J-2 3 J-4 Coupes and a nice little J-5-A (which the writer had the immense pleasure of flying) - the rest were J-3s This was completely separate from the 62 Pipers in the Classic area Last shybut only in alphabetical order - were the Taylorcrafts When have you seen L-2s BL-12s BC-12s BC-65s BL-65s and DC-65s on the same field Along with the BC-12Ds and Model 19s in the Classic area you could practically experience the entire history of the prolific Taylorcraft company without leaving the field

(Photo by Ted Koston) Best Class III Classic - Cessna 195 owned by Raybourne Thompson Jr of Houston Texas

4

The quality of the restorations was such that this writer was moved to mutter several prayers of solemn gratitude that he was not an Antique or Classic judge The Awards List at the end of this article will show the choices of the judges and Bill Hodges has a story on the Grand Champion Eaglerock elsewhere in this issue howshyever there are a few capsule comments I would like to bring to your attention

- The 5-AT-C Ford Tri-Motor at the fly-in this year was 01 414H - back on the barnstorming circuit once again In the early 60s the old Corrugated Cloud lashybored from sunup to nearly midnight carrying passenshygers at the EAA Fly-Ins then held at Rockford It was owned by Johri Louck who now mans the Information Booth at Oshkosh each year John later sold the Ford to American Airlines who displayed it at the New York Worlds Fair (causing an erroneous report of vandalism to the plane) before taking it home to Tulsa It and a second Ford N-9683 languished there at Americans overhaul facility for several years but both are now gone N-9683 was delivered to the Smithsonian during Transpo 72 and 414H was sold to Chuck LeMasters 414H is also responsible for the EAA Air Museum having a BT-13 One summer at Rockford the Ford blew an engine and John Louck bought a BT-13 to get the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney After installing the engine and returning the Ford to service John donated the BT-13 air frame to the Air Museum It was later restored by the Air Guard unit in Milwaukee and is airworthy today

- Al Kelch of Mequon Wisconsin a north-side subshyurb of Milwaukee figured to have one of the shortest and most routine flights to Oshkosh in his rare 1932 Franklin Sport 90 It was not to be After watching his private strip disappear over the horizon behind him it was just a matter of listening to the little Lambert droning away up front and an occasional squint ahead for a glimpse of big Lake Winnebago Suddenly the fuel tank split wide open dumping the entire fuel load Al masterfully deadshysticked into a farmers small field called ahead for help got the tank repaired and was soon on his way to the flyshyin without further incident This was an everyday afshyfair in the early 30s flying these forced -landings for a little unscheduled maintenance Our modern aircraft have more reliable engines and are generally less troubleshysome its a good thing too given our higher landing speeds small tires and scant few inches of prop clearance Weve improved all right but when you hear of an exshyperience like AIs you wonder if we have given up too much that was good in the old airplanes

- Another antique owner having an interesting flight to Oshkosh was Dick Austin of Greensboro N C He and sons David Andy and Jeff punched through the stationary front that seems to inevitably hang over the Appalachins every year at fly-in time and came out with the scars to prove it really doesnt pay to fool with Mother Nature The leading edges of his Waco ARE were peeled down to silver by a rainstorm encountered in eastern Kentucky Knowing he was out of contention for major awards Dick forged on anyway thus giving fly-in

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class II Classic - Cessna 140 owned by Dutch Brafford of Lima Ohio

(Photos-by Lee Fray)

Cliff Anderson of Bloomington Minnesota and his PreshyWorld War II Era Category Champion a 1941 Stinson 10A Notice the N number

5

goers a chance to see the only ARE This 330 hp Jacobs powered beauty has been out of circulation for many years most recently as a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection in South Carolina N-20953 was built on special order for the N ew York Times as a photo ship It still has the large plate glass windows on the right side of the cabin Interestingly several former owners (subsequent to the Times) and pilots came by and introduced themselves to Dick helping to unravel the rich fabric of this magnificent cabin Wacos existence

- Since there was a fly-in at Wittman Field the first week in August John Turgyan was there in his big beaushytiful Howard DGA-15P And being there all the way from the wilds ofNu Joisey it was only natural that he flew at every opportunity John loves to show off the pershyformance of his Howard especially its little known slow flight capabilities One of the most incredible sights of the 1973 Oshkosh Fly-In was John flaps down nose high and lots of power flying down the entire display area right off the wing of a Breezy

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Best Open Cockpit Silver Age - a KR-21 owned by Ron Nash of South Bend Indiana

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Biplane World War II Era - a PT-27 owned by Richard Hanson of Batavia Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Mooney Mite - owned by Frank Poplawski of Ennis Texas

6

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

The quality of the restorations was such that this writer was moved to mutter several prayers of solemn gratitude that he was not an Antique or Classic judge The Awards List at the end of this article will show the choices of the judges and Bill Hodges has a story on the Grand Champion Eaglerock elsewhere in this issue howshyever there are a few capsule comments I would like to bring to your attention

- The 5-AT-C Ford Tri-Motor at the fly-in this year was 01 414H - back on the barnstorming circuit once again In the early 60s the old Corrugated Cloud lashybored from sunup to nearly midnight carrying passenshygers at the EAA Fly-Ins then held at Rockford It was owned by Johri Louck who now mans the Information Booth at Oshkosh each year John later sold the Ford to American Airlines who displayed it at the New York Worlds Fair (causing an erroneous report of vandalism to the plane) before taking it home to Tulsa It and a second Ford N-9683 languished there at Americans overhaul facility for several years but both are now gone N-9683 was delivered to the Smithsonian during Transpo 72 and 414H was sold to Chuck LeMasters 414H is also responsible for the EAA Air Museum having a BT-13 One summer at Rockford the Ford blew an engine and John Louck bought a BT-13 to get the R-985 Pratt amp Whitney After installing the engine and returning the Ford to service John donated the BT-13 air frame to the Air Museum It was later restored by the Air Guard unit in Milwaukee and is airworthy today

- Al Kelch of Mequon Wisconsin a north-side subshyurb of Milwaukee figured to have one of the shortest and most routine flights to Oshkosh in his rare 1932 Franklin Sport 90 It was not to be After watching his private strip disappear over the horizon behind him it was just a matter of listening to the little Lambert droning away up front and an occasional squint ahead for a glimpse of big Lake Winnebago Suddenly the fuel tank split wide open dumping the entire fuel load Al masterfully deadshysticked into a farmers small field called ahead for help got the tank repaired and was soon on his way to the flyshyin without further incident This was an everyday afshyfair in the early 30s flying these forced -landings for a little unscheduled maintenance Our modern aircraft have more reliable engines and are generally less troubleshysome its a good thing too given our higher landing speeds small tires and scant few inches of prop clearance Weve improved all right but when you hear of an exshyperience like AIs you wonder if we have given up too much that was good in the old airplanes

- Another antique owner having an interesting flight to Oshkosh was Dick Austin of Greensboro N C He and sons David Andy and Jeff punched through the stationary front that seems to inevitably hang over the Appalachins every year at fly-in time and came out with the scars to prove it really doesnt pay to fool with Mother Nature The leading edges of his Waco ARE were peeled down to silver by a rainstorm encountered in eastern Kentucky Knowing he was out of contention for major awards Dick forged on anyway thus giving fly-in

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class II Classic - Cessna 140 owned by Dutch Brafford of Lima Ohio

(Photos-by Lee Fray)

Cliff Anderson of Bloomington Minnesota and his PreshyWorld War II Era Category Champion a 1941 Stinson 10A Notice the N number

5

goers a chance to see the only ARE This 330 hp Jacobs powered beauty has been out of circulation for many years most recently as a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection in South Carolina N-20953 was built on special order for the N ew York Times as a photo ship It still has the large plate glass windows on the right side of the cabin Interestingly several former owners (subsequent to the Times) and pilots came by and introduced themselves to Dick helping to unravel the rich fabric of this magnificent cabin Wacos existence

- Since there was a fly-in at Wittman Field the first week in August John Turgyan was there in his big beaushytiful Howard DGA-15P And being there all the way from the wilds ofNu Joisey it was only natural that he flew at every opportunity John loves to show off the pershyformance of his Howard especially its little known slow flight capabilities One of the most incredible sights of the 1973 Oshkosh Fly-In was John flaps down nose high and lots of power flying down the entire display area right off the wing of a Breezy

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Best Open Cockpit Silver Age - a KR-21 owned by Ron Nash of South Bend Indiana

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Biplane World War II Era - a PT-27 owned by Richard Hanson of Batavia Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Mooney Mite - owned by Frank Poplawski of Ennis Texas

6

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

goers a chance to see the only ARE This 330 hp Jacobs powered beauty has been out of circulation for many years most recently as a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection in South Carolina N-20953 was built on special order for the N ew York Times as a photo ship It still has the large plate glass windows on the right side of the cabin Interestingly several former owners (subsequent to the Times) and pilots came by and introduced themselves to Dick helping to unravel the rich fabric of this magnificent cabin Wacos existence

- Since there was a fly-in at Wittman Field the first week in August John Turgyan was there in his big beaushytiful Howard DGA-15P And being there all the way from the wilds ofNu Joisey it was only natural that he flew at every opportunity John loves to show off the pershyformance of his Howard especially its little known slow flight capabilities One of the most incredible sights of the 1973 Oshkosh Fly-In was John flaps down nose high and lots of power flying down the entire display area right off the wing of a Breezy

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Best Open Cockpit Silver Age - a KR-21 owned by Ron Nash of South Bend Indiana

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Biplane World War II Era - a PT-27 owned by Richard Hanson of Batavia Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Mooney Mite - owned by Frank Poplawski of Ennis Texas

6

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

CLASSICS

Oshkosh Tower Cessna 170 ten southwest landshying This is a flight offive-oh Cessna 170s

Cessna 170 uh was that five-ok Cessna 170s Affirmative five-oh a flight offifty Cessna 170s During fly-in week the Oshkosh tower is the worlds

busiest but you can bet that the above exchange brought about a couple of seconds of stunned silence because it was just what the man said a flight of 50 Cessna 170s up from their annual convention being held at Wagon Wheel airport resort near Janesville Wisconsin The efshyficient FAA crews did manage to get the 170s down and our EAA parking crews corralled the 50 170s together making a very impressive sight

Actually the entire Classic line-up this year was quite impressive This is the third year of Classic participation at Oshkosh and each year the quality of the restorations climbs a few notches

John Peck of Lexington Kentucky had his customized Taylorcraft BD-12D there and spent a lot of time showing his new doors which are hinged at the top and swing outshyward This is one of those why-didnt-someone-think-ofshythat-before sort of things The door allows Peck to stand

(Photo by Lee Fray)

The Best Monocoupe award went to Willard Benedict of Wayland Michigan for his 90 AF(L)

with one hand in the cockpit while he props with the other from behind - a heck of a lot safer than trying to prop from out front This feature will be of especially great interest to T-Craft owners who fly their birds on floats - and on skis The door also affords more than ample ventilation while taxiing on hot days and seals more tightly for cold weather flying Johns airplane had a beautiful interior and top notch workmanship throughshyout His custom paint job was slick but brings up an inshyter~sting question you see acres of yellow Cubs with black lightning strokes down the side robin red breasted Champs silver Swifts etc but when have you seen an original style factory T-Craft paint job circa 1946-47 Remember the metallic blue and silver BC-12Ds of that period

(Photo by Lee Fray)

George Stubbs Stinson SR-10 was declared the Reshyserve Grand Champion and Choice of the Northern California Chapter of AAA

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

(Photo by Lee Fray) (Photo by Lee Fray) John Turgyan of Trenton New Jersey and his big AI Kelch s Franklin Sport 90 winner of the Best Bishybad Howard The undisputed King of the fly-in goers plane Silver Age award AI is from Mequon Wisconsin

(Photo by Dick Stouffer) Judges Choice -Cessna C-165 owned by Gar Williams of Naperville Illinois

(Photo by Lee Fray) Category Champion for the Silver Age Brad Larson s Ryan SCW from Minneapol is

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Best Class I Classic - a Taylorcraft BD-12D owned by John Peck Jr of Lexington Kentucky

(See Awards List on Page 17) 8

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

The post-War Luscombes were well represented shySAs Es and Fs an Observer and a couple of Sedans One of the latter was Joe Johnsons really super Sedan restoration Next year he should have the rarest of the rare Luscombes at Oshkosh - the Colt we pictured last month

Weve already mentioned that the Classic Pipers were out in force - J-3s PA-lls PA-12s Vagabonds Clipshypers and Pacers and yes men twenty years ago was 1953 and that was the year the Tri-Pacer was introduced We had a couple registered - kinda makes a guy realize the sand in the 01 hourglass is getting a little deep in the bottom end

Cessnas What can you say There were so many real superb 120s 140s 170s and 190195s that again Im really glad I wasnt having to judge them

Aeroncas were there in great numbers - mostly Champs but a few Chiefs and a four-placer Besides havshying the Grand Champion Classic from their ranks Aeronshycas added to their luster by having the 1000th registered show plane Roger James Aeronca L-3 Defender (an anshytique Aeronca) Roger restored the plane then learned to fly in it

Some rare Classics were a Johnson Rocket and Misshysissippi States Anderson Greenwood

This year a full slate of antique and classic forums were held and were very well attended The Cessna 1201 140 group started a national type club with J R Nielandshyer at the helm

Antique and Classic judging teams deserve an award for service to the cause and a second one for physical fitness for simply surviving the week And finally Anshytique-Classic President Buck Hilbert rated a commendashytion and a rest - for holding It all together He bounced back so quickly that he already is making plans for next

year In the next couple of issues of The Vintage Airplane

we will be attempting to cover all the antique and classic happenings at Oshkosh 73

(Photo by Ted Koston) 1973 Classic Judges Back row left to right George York of Mansfield Ohio Co-Chairman Jim Gorman of Mansshyfield Ohio AntiqueClassic PreSident Buck Hilbert CoshyChairman Morton Lester of Martinsville Virginia John Engles of Lakeland Florida John Shearer of Raleigh N C Kneeling at left John Parish of Tullahoma Tenshynessee and Dub Yarbrough right of Tullahoma Tenshynessee

9

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

D CHAMPION EAGLEROCK

By Bill Hodges

Alexander Eaglerock With an OX-5 All the way from Texas How long did it take Such were the exclamations and questions that bomshy

barded Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse owners of the A-2 Eaglerock declared 1973 Grand Champion Antique at this years EAA Fly-In ConventiQn at Oshkosh Wisshyconsin

The magnificent old biplane decked out in factory original blue and silver was built at Colorado Springs in 1929 It is an A-2 or Center Section Eaglerock and left the factory as NC-250V but was later issued its present NC-6601 The Serial Number is 928

Unlike some other rare antiques now flying that were rescued from complete obscurity this ship has been known for some time with many individuals trying to purchase it Previously owned by Michele Amedeo of Gasport New York (an old time AampE) the Eaglerock was unshytouchable until Reagan and Jack showed up at the right place at the right time The Eaglerock had been disshymantled very carefully in 1940 so carefully that Mr Amedeo kept the tacks that had held the fabric Even stored in his barn Mr Amedeo kept the fuselage tubing oiled and in good shape When bought by Ormond Brouse and Douglas Boren only the front control stick was missshying

Last year an ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane which was somewhat misleading as it sounded as if only Eagleshy10

rock parts were wanted After calling and discovering that a complete aircraft was for sale Ormand headed for New York arriving at Mr Amedeos complete with a van This was in the fall of 1972 After seeing what was in the barn Ormand started moving pieces outside to see them better and since his van was right there the pieces were placed on it after inspection Since Ormand already had his van loaded he made Mr Amedeo an atshytractive offer for the Eaglerock which was accepted

The long trip was made back to Texas and restorashytion work began Restoration To hear them tell it it was more a straight recover job The only items not used were the tires propeller and fabric The restoration took 8 months

One problem encountered in flying the plane was that the FAA would only license it in the experimental category until it could be demonstrated airworthy due to its being the only one flying However the standard airworthiness was issued one week later

A word or two is in order concerning Reagan Orshymands background He taught himself to fly back in 1929 by building a simulator on a fence post out on the windy west Texas plains He then graduated to building and learning to fly primary gliders When the war in Europe broke out in 1939 Reagan went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF where he went on to fly Fairey Battles among others Later after transferring to the U S Army Air Force he retired from the U S Air Force as a Bird Colonel

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

(Photo by Le~ Fray)

Reagan Ormand left shows famous news comshymentator Paul Harvey the Eaglerocks OX-5

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Evander Britt Chairman of the Antique Judging Comshymittee center congratulates the winners of the 1973 Grand Champion Antique award Left Reagan Ormand and right Jack Brouse both of Arlington Texas Their OX-5 Alexander Eaglerock is in the background

Jack was also in World War II as a U S Marine avishyation ordinance man Jack was assigned to VMF-422 which flew Vought F4U-1 Corsairs Beginning his flyshying career in 1940 the war caused a postponement until 1960 Since that time Jack has rebuilt several planes inshycluding a Taylorcraft BD-12D and has gone on to get his instructor rating

Now back to the big trip - Grand Prairie Texas to Oshkosh Wisconsin which took 20 flying hours It also took 3 days 16 st ps and 2 forced landings The first inshyvolved a blown exhaust gasket which tempered a valve spring and required a landing at Junction City Kansas Unable to locate an OX-5 valve spring (wonder why) a Continental spring was modified and used to continue the journey (modified Ford V-8 exhaust gaskets were also used)

Everything went along OK until arriving in Iowa then the OX-5 began backfiring but the Albia Airport was in sight and a landing was made there The Airpower Museum at nearby Blakesburg kindly traded springs with Reagan from the OX-5 engine on static display there and soon the Eaglerock was winging its way on to Oshkosh once again Reagan and Jack were prepared for the trip however having both a Cherokee 180 chase plane and a pickup following

Congratulations to Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse and Douglas Boren for their truly outstanding antique the Alexander Ea~lerock

SPECIFICATIONS

Wing Span 36 8 Length 24 II Height 9 8 Empty Weight 1459 lbs Useful Load 786 lbs Payload 340 lbs Gross Weight 2245 lbs Maximum Speed 99 mph Cruise Speed 85 mph Landing Speed 34 mph Rate of Climb 514 ft per min Ceiling 10200 ft Gas Capacity 46 gals Oil Capacity 4 gals Range 450 miles 1929 Price FAF $247500 - less engine $225000

(Photo by Ted Koston)

The famous Alexander Eaglerock trade mark - an eagle and a rocky craig

(Photo by Ted Koston) Eagle flies This is an authentic antique if there ever

was one - no brakes a tail skid and a straight OX-So

11

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

A FAMILYmiddot OF DOPE (BUTYRATE) ADDICTS

N4606H Dr Chester Martins newly restored Piper Vagashybond This aircraft and the Cub referred to in the article were both at Oshkosh and were much admired byeveryshyone

By Chas Chester Martin MD 902 General Mouton St

Lafayette Louisiana 70501

Weve just completed our second restoration I say we because an airplane restored in your home has to be a family project Without the help and cooperation of my wife and seven children Piper J-3 Cub NC35085 (our first) and Piper Vagabond N4606H (our latest) could have been lost forever Instead we have two beautiful birds that are indeed labors of love

Our family was not always a bunch of dope addicts (butyrate that is) It all started six years ago when I was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukemia and was told Id advise you to discontinue your medical practice and enjoy the few remaining months you might have - go fishing Well I went flying Although I continued my medicaI practice now was the time to do all the things I had put off until later I hadnt flown since entering medical school in 1949 (no time) so flyshying lessons were on the agenda - immediately while I could still pass the physical exam Thanks to prayers and advances in modern medicine I still pass the physical and several years have been added to my life expectancy

12

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

Dr Martin and his wife Marilyn

Flying one of the newest planes with the latest equipshyment wasnt like flying in the 1940s I wanted a tail dragger and thats how it all began - first a Cub then a Vagabond

A basket case Piper Cub J -3 was purchased in March 1970 Most of the original pieces could be used but much rust had to be removed and some of the stru~ture needed rebuilding The Cub was covered with Grade A cotton fabric 25 or more coats of butyrate dope were brushed on with a Styrofoam brush and then hand rubbed At this time Red Lerille (of Monocoupe fame) lent his know how and encouragement during the reshyconstruction period

Our J-3 Cub was reborn in January 1971 exactly 10 months after purchase We made her as original as possible including the use of white cub instruments and numbers on the wings and rudder But no yellow Cub ever came out of Lock Haven Pennsylvania with a finish like this one

My wife and I then planned a cross country trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Blakesburg Iowa in September of 1971 It was a wonderful two day cross country trip which was terminated with the plane awarded best in class plaque and best restored Piper Trophy Needshyless to say this made the entire family happy

After a year of fun flying in the Cub another basket case made its appearance Late in 1971 a hurricane struck South Louisiana causing considerable property damage One of its victims was a little Piper Vagabond (N4606H) While it was tied down at Bordelon Airpark a hanger roof was blown off and fell squarely on the little plane There she lay collecting water fabric torn in a number of places from fractures of the underlying structue and ~eshyterioratingrapidly Periodically I would walk by It and wlsh I could restore it but its owner wanted to do the same After careful inspection the owner decided too much work was involved and since he owed money on the reshymains he decided to sell On New Years Day of 1972 I became the proud owner of a Vagabond with dreams of a beautiful restoration

Immediately my sons and I began the job of disasshysembly then came the bad news There was more damage than originally suspected

The left wing was destroyed Both spars were bent beyond repair which meant a new left wing would need to be purchased or rebuilt An ad was placed in Trade-AshyPlane for a left wing Weeks went by with no response Finally one wintery Sunday afternoon a call came from Great Bend Kansas from Bill Koelling who had been reading an old issue of Trade-A-Plane His Vagabond had crashed and burned two weeks before so he most generously offered parts for my plane He shipped a burned wing which was used to help rebuild another left wing This rebuilding job took approximately one month of spare time work

Mr L C Bordelon an aviation inspector supplied the technical know how and all supervision and inspection during the repair He began the complete overhaul of the little Continental 65 hp engine and converted it to 75 hp

In March 1972 all repair work was done and the reshycovering job was begun with Grade A cotton Nitrate dope was used for the first coats and butyrate dope was used on the last few coats A total of 35-40 coats was applied with a Styrofoam brush sanded and compounded Key West Blue was the main color with Ensignia Blue and white used as trim

Orig ina lly the Vagabond had no rear windows Monocoupe rear windows were added which aid in both looks a nd vi sibility A bubble-type windshield was also added Windshield a nd wi ndows are green tinted A walshynut formica instrument panel was installed and walnut panels were placed over the wing roots in the cabin Inshysulation was placed around the cabin and firewa ll which aid in heat and noise reduction

However bad times were ahead for me June 1972 found me in ill health The immunization treatment which I had been receiving reacted adversely and I beshycame gravely ill This setback lasted for approximately two months and it took some time before I could re- start the project because of extreme weakness

By Christmas of 1972 I was in good health practicing medicine and working on the plane Once again this Christmas as the ones before the living room was filled with wings elevators rudder wheels and other airplane parts along with Christmas tree and presents for seven children This little plane was being rebuilt at home sometimes in the house so it definitely was a family proshyject Everyone cut fabric doped rib stitched (or rib sushyture as we call it) or sanded Envelopes were made by my wife Surely some could have been purchased at a cheaper price but ours were made so no seams were visishyble In May of 1973 she was reborn finally completed shyall reassembled

June 91973 Denton Texas was the site of the Texas Chapter Fly-In I flew there in the little Vagabond and my wife and children drove in the car The children were excited to see how their plane would compare It looked so tiny alongside of the big Waco Cabins Howards Stinshysons etc Saturday night at the banquet Piper Vagabond was awarded a trophy for judges choice under 85 hp The entire family was overjoyed Two weeks later my oldest son and I flew to Pauls Valley Oklahoma The Oklahoma City Fly-In was middotheld and to my surprise the little Vagashybond was selected Grand Champion of the show

It is said Life begins at 40 Six years ago I was forty years old I have lived the last six years not just existed in spite of the dark cloud overhead My hours spent reshybuilding and flying have been very gratifying Meeting people connected with all phases of aviation has been a rich and rewarding experience

By the way were looking again The fuselage has to be small enough to fit on the screen porch and the wing must fit behind the sofa in the living room Were not only dope addicts (butyrate) -were optimistic

13

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

THE DEATH OF A TRI-MOTOR

By Paul H Poberezny

The Burlington Air Show on June 16 was a real blast if you want to look at it that way But any way one views it it really was

The morning of the show dawned with poor visibility high temperatures and scattered imbedded thunderstorms - making it tough going for the early arrivals I made a weather check flight in a P-51 and as I cleared the end of the runway encountered moderate turbulence and a wind shift A check of the area revealed scattered thundershystorms but the weather appeared to be improving

Upon returning to the field at Burlington I found that I would have to land on the short grass northsouth strip as the eastwest paved runway had a 30-35 mph crossshywind in fact a couple of concessionaires already had tents down Gear down full flaps a power-on apshyproach down in just 1600 feet of the available 2500 Then it came back to me - this was how we did it during the Big War and Korea

Shortly the sun came out and it looked like a great day ahead The show would go on

Nick Rezich and Bill Bordeleau were at the air show mike The parachute routine went off as planned with Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy tracing circles of smoke around the jumper as he floated down with his American flag fluttering -in the breeze Charlie and Gene were flying the identically painted EAA Acro Sport and Super Acro - the first air show appearance of the two beautishyful little biplanes together

After a couple of acts everyone began to notice a sudshyden darkening of the sky to the west Milwaukee Radar reported a severe thunderstorm 20 miles to the west Airshycraft owners bE)gan to be uneasy so we stopped the show EAA aircraft and some of the air show planes were moved into the EAA hangar and those with tie-downs and ropes began securing their birds Those without were left to luck and strong arms

The Glenn Ford Tri-Motor so familiar to Oshkosh Fly-In goers was at Burlington and was quickly tied down and chocked As I came back on the line to get the P-64 lightning was flashing from a now black sky and a gray wall of rain was racing across the fields toward us from the west

I climbed into the cockpit of the -64 hit the switches and the 1250 hp Wright barked into life As I taxied toshyward the hangar a half mile away the rain and wind hit just as I was alohg side the Ford Tri-Motor I immediately turned her nose into the wind and there I sat for the next half hour some 50 feet from the Tri-Motor - and where it had once been

The driving rain the blackness and the force of the wind during that 30 minute nightmare are visual images Ill never forget The P-64 rose to the full length of her landing gear shock struts and the air speed peaked several times at 75 mph - holding a steady 60-65 mph the rest of the time This was with the P-64 in a 3-point attitude

The Ford was broadside to the initial blast of wind and for the next 10 minutes I watched the big Tin Goose work at jumping her chocks Finally she lurched over the blocks and swung around as far as the tie down ropes would allow This put the full load on the upwind tie down stake and the outcome was inevitable

Suddenly the up-wind stake let go and the others quickly followed in unison The old girl rolled backwards for a 100 or more feet before lodging against the EAA Communications Trailer and EAA bus Those in the two

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

The death of a Tri-Motor EAA Presishydent Paul Poberezny thinks not

(Dick Stouffer Photo )

Despite the smashed-to-smithereens appearance here the wing was found to be in fairly good shape when turned over Bob Smith of the EAA Air Museum stands guard over the gasoline-soaked wreckage

vehicles were in for a scare - for shortly the Ford rose majestically into the air - some 50 feet it appeared It seemed to hang there for five or six seconds an eerie sight with the lightning flashes illuminating it for instants oftime in the otherwise perfectly black sky Then ever so slowly her nose dropped and she plunged headlong for the ground The center engine and cockpit crumpled and the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wing broke away Pitching to the side and catching on the right wing tip - smashing it in the process - she finally came to rest on her back gasoline gushing from her wing tanks

The storm blew over about as quickly as it had come leaving 12 airplanes either totally destroyed or severely damaged With gasoline still pouring from the Ford and standing in pools of rain water as a rainbow colored film our friend The Careless Smoker caused no end

14

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

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CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

of concern Big Nick armed with a bullhorn worked frantically to clear the area and get the wreckage roped off

The Ford is now the property of the EAA Air Museum Her engines have been removed her broken-off tail and aft fuselage have been moved to the EAA Museum shop in Hales Corners and the crushed cockpit has been reshymoved The remaining wing and partial fuselage have been turned over and now sits on the somewhat bent main gear

At first the Ford appeared to be a total loss but after a close examination - through the eyes of a homebuilder - maybe just maybe 01 NC8407 didnt die after all Some parts several sections of corrugated aluminum and fishynancial help to hire one or two good sheet metal men could snatch the old girl from the hands of the junk man and get her airborne again

Ive already put some money where my thoughts are what about you

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Carrot-Top Psst Hey Bill - Keep looking straight ahead and pretend you dont notice anything but I dont think that landing came out just right Bill Chomo Yeah Dorothy just keep smiling keep smiling (look closely folks)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Righting the aft fuselage Notice the relatively simple structure this is what has led EAA Headquarters to the conclusion that the plane can be rebuilt

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

What You mean I dont get zee ATR just because of one leetle bouncy-bounce Thats our boisterous Belshygian Philippe Van Pelt of the EAA Air Museum

(Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 [Serial 4-AT-69] a 4-AT-E was delivered to Pitcairn Aviation Philadelphia in 1930 It became the property of Eastern Air Transport when that company was formed absorbing the assets ofPitcairn Eastern owned the airplane from 1930 to 1931 Little is known of the planes whereabouts until it was purchased by Pan American in 1934 The license was revoked in January of that year by CAA presumably because it had been learned that the plane had been used by Cia Nacional Cubana - in Cuban markings The period 1935shy1951 is a complete blank records-wise but the story is that the Ford was operated in the Dominican Republic during this time Rex Williams ofTollison Arizona brought the plane back to the States in 1951 and sold it in 1956 in Caldwell Idaho - to Eugene O Frank we assume It eventually was purchased by Dale Glenn [Ford Tri-Motor Inc] and has been Ubed as a barnstormer for the last decade It was a regular at Rockford and then Oshkosh and was a familiar sight at many mid-western fly-ins each summer The EAA Air Museum Foundation Inc is now the registered owner As mentioned last month a Save The Ford Fund has been started If you care to conshytribute you will be helping to restore and preserve a very famous part of aviation history A number of parts and material have already been located and are awaiting pickshyup by our Museum staff Please address your letters to Save The Ford Fund EAA Air Museum Foundation Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130)

15

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

1-

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

The Thaden T-2 a 1928 design feashyturing a full cantilever wing and flaps

By Jack Cox

In the 1920s and 1930s new aircraft were introduced to the public at lavish aviation shows held in places like New York Chicago Los Angeles and San Francisco One of the sensations of the 1928 Los Angeles Aeroshynautical Exposition was an all metal three or four place high wing monoplane designed by Herb Thaden and built by his Thaden Metal Aircraft Company of San Franshycisco

Designated the T-2 Herbs machine incorporated quite a few features which made it unique for that day Constructed almost entirely of duralumin with a full cantilever wing fully enclosed cabin with auto-like furshynishing split landing gear and flaps the T-2 was a harbinger of things to come in a time when open cockpit wood tube and fabric biplanes dominated the American aviation market

The T-2 was powered by a seven cylinder Comet radishyal that developed 150 hp at 1800 rpm A ground adjustashyble propeller with micarta blades was used probably for the relative ease of trying various pitches to determine the best propengineairframe combination A rather large plane for the horsepower the Thaden had a span of 39 feet a length of 25 feet and a height of 7 feet 9 inches Nevertheless a top speed of 121 mph and a cruise of 90 mph was obtained due largely to the lack of wing struts Landing speed with flaps down was a very low 46 mph (55 mph without flaps) rate of climb was 800 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 16000 feet was claimed 1928 was a time of few airports we would recognize as such today so a low landing speed was of paramount importance - if you could get top end speeds of over 100 miles per hour to go with the low end performance you had accomplished something particularly on only 150 hp

While contemporary Curtiss Robins Fairchild FC-2s Ryan Broughams Stinsons and the like were flying around with a layer of doped Irish linen between them and Mother Earth Herb Thaden was developing his method of constructing aircraft using corrugated durashylumin This was not completely new of course Junkers had been building aircraft with this material for over a decade Bill Stout had been flying machines so constructed since the early 20s - most notably the Ford Tri-Motor Hamilton was building its Metalplanes in Milwaukee etc but Herb was attempting to break into the small plane market Here an all metal airplane was indeed a rarity

The thick cantilever wing of the T-2 was a multi-spar affair - five spars of a plate girder type The corrugated covering material middotriveted to these spars acted as drag bracing and formed a very rigid structure Static load testing to 19000 pounds produced a deflection of 7 inches at the wing tips - but no structural deformation or popped rivets The T-2 wing differed from Junkers and Ford practice in that the leading edge was of smooth metal with the corrugations fairing in smoothly several inches back along the wing chord

The T-2 s fl aps caused somewhat of a stir in 1928 shythey were the first middotmodern fl aps on a n American plane that had the effect of chang ing the camber of the wing to produce additional lift This allowed shorter take offs and landings with no penalty at cruise The flaps were actuated by a worm gear which allowed the pilot to choose any setting up to the full travel position The flaps ocshycupied the entire trailing edge of the wings with the exshyception of the ailerons and constituted 9 of the total lifting surface

Two twenty gallon fuel tanks were located in the wings Metal cover plates allowed for inspection and removal of the tanks if needed An emergency or reserve tank holding ten gallons fed directly to the carburetor

The fuselage was a monocoque structure with only two main bulkheads - at the front and rear of the cabin Lighter aluminum tubes served as formers in the tailcone with close spacing near the tail skid attach point for added strength

The cabin was designed to approximate the interiors of contemporary automobiles It was 8 feet long 3 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high Large easily opened plate glass windows were provided for the rear seat and a big windshield with triangular sections extending all the way down the side of the fuselage to the landing gear fittings were provided for the pilot A conventional auto-like door was located on the left side of the cabin however a sliding glass hatch was installed over the pilots seat for aviators who didnt feel like aviators unless they climbed up over and down into their seat (Geez who ever heard of merely opening a door and WALKING to your trusty bucket seat) The r ear bench-type seat-for-two was upholstered in the mohair material considered the only thing in the Roaring Twenties however the pilots buckshyet seat up front was appropriately spartan and the side panels were lined with terne plate A folding seat was mounted to the side for a second pilot or an additional passenger A large baggage compartment was located behind the rear seat

Controls consisted of a stick and rudder pedals at both the pilots seat and the folding seat The stick at the folding seat was removable in case the passenger was a land lubber

The landing gear was a split type built up of heat treated chrome molybdenum steel tubing with Gruss shock absorbers inserted in the compression members Bendix wheels and brakes were standard equipment The tail skid was a leaf spring with a shoe of hard wearing material

The T-2 was one of several models developed by Herb Thaden Like so many others his dreams of airshycraft production were shattered by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression The T-2 was never certified and never reached production It was an advanced airplane for 1928 and deserved better than fate had in store for it think for a minute how long was it before a comparable high wing all metal four place full cantilever wing personal airplane was finally certified and put into production in this count~y

16

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

1-

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

Does anything qualifY before the Cessna 190 195 seshyries or if you go to such an airplane with lift proshyducing flaps (instead of the 195s drag only underwing spoilers) dont you have to come all the way down to the late 1960s and Cessnas Cardinal This what if game is one of the authors little fascinations how much more advanced would 1973s lightplanes be if aircraft such as the T-2 had made it to production and wideshyspread use

Herb Thaden went on to a distinguished career as a consulting engineer in aviation and into other more profitable irdustrial fields At the time of his death a few years ago he was living in High Point North Carolina and was operating his own firm which supplied the furshyniture industry with sophisticated injection molded plasshy

tic components To the end Herb Thaden was on the leadshying edge of new and advanced industrial concepts

Along the way Herb Thaden had made still another smart move he married a winsome lass named Louise McPhetridge Even the casual aviation enthusiast instantshyly recognizes Louise Thaden as the winner of the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936 Bendix Trophy shyin a stock Staggerwing Throughout the 1930s she was in the headlines winning races setting endurance records and generally helping make flying glamorous Louise reshysides in High Point today and as Dub Yarbrough President of the Stagger wing Club found out first hand not too long ago can still make a Beech talk to her about 5 mph faster than anyone else

1973 OSHKOSH AWARDS ANllOUE

Best Monocoupe Monocoupe 90 AF(l) Willard BenedictGrand Champion Alexander Eaglerock Reagan Ormand Jack Brouse N-18195 Wayland MichNC-6601 Arlington Texas Best Staggerwing Beech G-17 John Parish

Reserve Grand Champion Stinson SR-10G George Stubbs N-44G Tullahoma TennNC-21135 Indianapolis Ind Best Rearwin 9000 Sportster Ken Williams

Judges Choice Cessna C-165 Gar Williams N-25570 Portage WiscNC-25485 Naperville III Best Fa irchild Fairchild F-24R Mory Johnson

Award of Merit Fleet II Buck Hi Ibert N-18682 Barrington IIINC-431K Un ion III Best Waco Waco CUC-2 J C Weber

Chapter Cho ice N-14625 Barrington III Norcal Chapter AM Stinson SR-IOG George Stubbs Best Dart Dart GC Art Bishop

NC-21135 Indianapolis Ind N-31697 Norton Ohio Best Antique Covering withGolden Age Razorback - Fleet II Bill Hazleton Buck HilbertBest Biplane Curtiss Fledgling Hank Palmer (Sponsored by Razorback NC-431K Union IIINC-27lY St Petersburg Fla Fabrics)Best Monoplane Davis V-3 Di ck Geist Service to Antique-Classic Division Awards NC-867H Whitaker Kansas Kelly and Edna Viets Stilwell KansasCategory Champion Spartan C-3 Ed Wegner Dick Wagner Lyons WiscN-705N Plymouth Wisc

Silver Age CLASSIC Best Biplane FranklinSport AI Kelch Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC Doug Moore

N-13132 Mequon Wisc Classic CF-JUU Orangeville Ont Canada Best Monoplane Stinson Jr-S Ed Garber Best Class I - 65 HP Taylorcraft BD-12D John Peck Jr

N-10883 Fayetteville N C N~5113M Lexington Ky Best Open Cockpit Fairchild KR-21 Ron Nash Best Class II - Cessna 140 Dutch Brafford

N-235V South Bend Ind Under 150 HP N-89728 Lima Ohio Best Cabin Aeronca K Tom Trainer Best Class III - Cessna 195 Raybourne Thompson Jr

NC-22338 Royal Oak Mich Over 150 HP N-4477C Houston Texas Category Champion Ryan SCW Brad Larsen

NC-18912 Minneapolis Minn Best of Type Awards Pre-WW II Era

Best Open Cock~t Ryan ST-M Bob Friedman Best Aeronca Cham p N-83964 Kenneth Sherwin West Lafayette Ind N-8146 Highland Park III Best Aeronca Chief N-9763E Conrad Shields Marion Ind

Best Cabi n Hartman-Welch T Johnson Best Beechcraft Twi n N-4477 Joseph Ciabattoni Elmwood Park III NC-33500 Belview Minn Best Bellanca N-86931 John White Albert Lea Minn

Category Champion Stinson lOA Cliff Anderson Best Cessna 120140 N-2486V (140) Lester Zehr Ft Wayne Ind NC-4110A Bloomington Minn Best Cessna 170 N-3134B Avory Gauger Phoenix Ariz

Best Cessna 190195 N-117W (195) Donald Heath Grayslake IIIWW II Era Best Commonwealth N-73801 Douglas Kenyon Warren OhioBest Bi plane Stearman PT-27 Richard Hanson Best Ercoupe N-2969H Kelly Viets Stilwell KsN-59448 Batavia III Best Funk N-1654N Orlo Maxfield Dearborn MichBest Monoplane Interstate L-6 Peter Doyle Best Johnson Rocket N-90204 O R Fairbain Huntsville AlaN-60458 Syracuse N Y Best Mooney Mite N-4160 Frank Poplawski Ennis TexasBest Open Cockpit Navy N3N Tom Ehlers Best Meyers N-34360 E R Broyles Tullahoma TennN-12063 St Charles Mo Best Navion N-437M Richard Matt McHenry IIIBest Cabin Howard DGA-15P John Turgyan Best Piper Cub NC-42621 David Hamilton Anderson Ind

N-95462 Trenton N J Best Piper (all other) N-5834H Bi II Schmidt Wichita KsCategory Champion DeHavi lIand Ti ger Moth J P Jordan K G Best Stinson N-9562K Ellis H Clark Caton Rapids MichNC-39DH Hofschneider Clark N J Best Swift N-80905 Charlie Hoover St Paul Minn Best of Type Awa rd Best T aylorcraft N-44204 Gene Townsend Decatur III

Best Antique Replica Great Lakes Bill Duncan Best Aeronca Sedan N-1482H Arthur Hill Cincinnati Ohio NC-6669 Spokane Wash Best Beech Bonanza N-3150V Barry Sanders Knoxville Tenn

Best Canadian Antique Miles Hawk John MacGillivray Best Luscombe Series 8 N-1280B Harman Dickerson St Louis Mo CF-NXT CFB Ontario Canada Best Luscombe Series II N-1689B Joseph Johnson Bedford Texas

Most Unusual Antique Heath Parasol Bob Burge Special Award N-752Y Sylvania Ohio Anderson Greenwood N3903K

Best Transport Vultee V-1A Harold Johnston Howard Ebersole Mississippi State UniversityN-16099 Pueblo Colorado 17

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

1-

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nfl unmiddotrarring i~ 1lrtlIwl ) ~ lul a n~1 etluil)IIJ wh h nimiddoti nl ~h~Hk Rbsorlr~ rpk unci

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE INVINCIBLE CENTER-WING

This months Whatever Happened To is sent along by Dave Jameson of Oshkosh The Inshyvincible Center-Wing was built by the Invincible Metal Furniture Company of Manitowoc Wisconsin makers to this day of a fine line of file cabinets desks etc Some years ago Dave contacted the company to see what had happened to X631 and was told that no records exist in Invincibles files today that give a clue as to the final disposition of the prototype They did send the 1929 brochure we have reshyproduced here

Can any of you shed any light on this mystery-of-the-month All we know about this interesting airplane is printed in the brochure below

1-

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AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD MYSTERY PLANE

NO MYSTERY Finally one of our eagle-eyed members has solved

one of our Mystery plane capers Herb Harkcoms letter is self-explanatory dont miss his reference at the end of the letter on his latest project a CurtissshyWright Speed wing This one will have the tongues of you biplane fans hanging out a mile

Dear Jack Your Mystery aircraft in the June issue of The

Vintage Airplane is no mystery to me A close examination with a magnifying glass will

show that it is an Eaglerock which someone rebuilt with a canopy in an effort to make a closed cockpit job

The landing gear is definitely Eaglerock as to the best of my knowledge no other airplane had a gear like it The fuselage and engine mount are a lso Eagleshyrock as well as the vertical fin The wood engine bearshyers have no doubt rotted away or were removed but the mountings are still plainly visible

From the picture it is hard to tell what engine it had but it must have been either an OX-5 or a Hisso judging from the mount

I am making slow progress on the C-W Speedwing as we were on vacation for a month and then when we returned I had two trips to Sydney plus four days in school which kept me busy for another month However I have the wings and tail feathers ready for cover and am working on the fuselage now

I wont be able to make Oshkosh this year due to work schedule but I will be there in spirit

Yours Herb Harkcom Buzzards Roost Airport Rtl Inola Okla 74036

The Mystery Plane in the June issue that Herb Harshycom has identified Compare it with the pictures of the Alexander Eaglerock on the cover and in Bill Hodges article

(C~~O OS~

~~~~ OS~~G~ ~O~~N~~~

CO AERONCA C-3 WANTS - James P Wood 3415 W 80th St Inglewood California 90305 is restoring an Aeronca C-3 Master and needs drawings for the wood ailerons used on the British version of the plane His metal ailerons are beat Mr Wood also owns Aeronca K NC-19339 which has been down since November of 1972 for engine overhaul

(Photo Courtesy Mike Grissom)

Mike Grissom Rt 3 Box 441 Henderson N C 27536 gets in a little stick time in his 1940 Porterfield LP-65 he is in the process of restoring The Porterfield has been stored for 27 years and has only 420 hours total time

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia

Mun icipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Mart insville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - National Waco Club Fly-In in conjunc ti on to Carolinas-Virginia Fall Fly-In (SEE ABOVE) Contact National Waco Club

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearshyman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesboro il_ linOis 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Cystal Lake illi shynois 60014

OCTOBER 13-14 - TAHLEQUAH OKLAHOMA - 15th Annual TULSA Fly-In to be held this year at Tahlequah Oklahoma (50 Miles ESE of Tulsa) Cookout on Friday ni ght for early arrivals Sponsored by AAA Chapter 2 EAA Chapter 10 and EANIAC Chapter 10 all of Tulsa Contact Doug Philpott (918-936-9418) or Ray Thompson (918-622-3492)

JULY 28 - AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 22nd Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Largest and best Antique and ClasshySIC gathering anywhere Make your plans and reservations early

19