vintage airplane - aug 2006
TRANSCRIPT
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A
U G
U
5 T
NE
VOL.
34, NO.8
2006
CONTENTS
1
Straight & Level
by Geoff Robison
2
VAA News
4
Wing Dolly
Keeping it off the floor and easy to work on
by Donald D. Watt Sr.
6 Restoration Corner
Inspection
and
storage
by
E.E.
Buck Hilbert
8 A 1947 Global Flyer The City
of
the ngels
First Iightplane
to
fly
around the
world
by Sparky Barnes Sargent
6
Member Stories-Highlighting Individuals
Harold
G.
Scheck
by Robert
G.
Kroll
1 8 Five-One Foxtrot
Dean Richardson's Grand
Champion Contemporary
by H.G. Frautschy
26
What
Our Members Are Restoring
28 The
Vintage Instructor
Gettin
old
by Doug Stewart
3
Shock Cords
Know
when
to change
them
by H.G. Frautschy
34
Pass
I t to
Buck
One
more turn on turnbuckles
ST FF
E Publisher Tom
Poberezny
E Editor·in·Chief
Scott
Spangler
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G OFF RO ISON
PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
AirVenture s coming
This month's column is being writ
ten from the
grounds
of EAA Air
Venture Oshkosh.
We
are
now
at the
starting gate for AirVenture 2006, and
the gun is about to go off. For those
of
you who
were in attendance, I
trust you had a great adventure.
As
most of you are likely already
aware, we start
planning
for
next
year's event the day after AirVenture
closes.
So
please, while the memo
ries are fresh in your mind, let us
know what your thoughts are about
improving
upon
the Vintage Aircraft
Association side of the world's great
est aviation extravaganza. Although
we routinely get a good number of
positive comments mixed in with a
small number of real concerns, we
really want to hear all of the good,
the bad, and the ugly.
The adage
"We can't fix it if we don't know
it's broken" really holds true here at
VAA.
If
you are so inclined to share
your thoughts with us, please feel
free to contact us via e-mail at n-
tage@eaa org or my personal e-mail
vention efforts with monetary
do
nations
to
the
VAA
Friends of the
Red Barn fund-rai sing initiative. The
most amazing dynamic of this pro
gram has been the number of sus
taining donors.
. . . special thanks
and
recognition to
those valued
members who are
supporting our V
convention efforts
with
monetary
donations to
the
V
Friends of
the
Red Barn
to
supporting
the
various initiatives
and programs of the VAA during each
year's AirVenture. Thanks, folks
Speaking of friends, a dynamic that
continues
to amaze me each year is
the
many friendships renewed
and
the
new
friendships
forged
at
Air
Venture. This really is the best part
of
the
adventure for me. Aviation,
for me at least, is to be credited (my
wife sometimes says blamed ) for
all these interesting and oftentimes
long-term friendships I have accu
mulated
through my now 24
years
of affiliation with the EAA.
When
it comes to friends, avia
tion is a lot like
an
ice cream churn.
It just keeps turning out a wonder
ful concoction known as friend
ships. The longer you stay at it, the
better the concoction.
Let me give you a recent example
of what I'm talking about. A couple
of weeks ago
on
a Saturday morn
ing, I was sitting in the hangar with
the door open when I heard the dis
tinct sou nd of
an
old Kinner. When
mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.comhttp:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.comhttp:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.com
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EAA
Voices
Objections to
Proposed Renewable
Fuel
Legislation
Two
bills
submitted in the U.S.
Congress Wednesday, July 12, would
amend the
Clean
Air Act to require
all gasoline sold for use in
motor
ve
hicles to contain 10 percent renewable
fuel by
the
year 2010. These days re
newable fuel means ethanol,
and
EAA
and
other organizations
contend
that
would
create a dilemma for aircraft
owners
and
operators,
as avgas and
auto fuel used by certain aircraft own
ers would
fall
under the legislation.
Separate
studies
by EAA, Cessna,
and the FAA
have
proven
that
eth
anol-blended
fuels are
harmful
to
recreational and general
aviation
aircraft
and their
fuel
system
com
ponents (rubber
lines, fuel
pumps,
rubber seals, and fuel tanks) . Vapor
lock
is
also a critical flight safety issue
caused by
the
use of ethanol-blended
auto fuel in aircraft engines.
In separate letters to Rep. Ralph
M.
Hall (R-Texas), chairman,
Subcom
mittee
on Energy
and
Air
Quality,
and
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma),
chairman,
Senate
Environment
and
Public Works
Committee, EAA
Pres
ident
Tom
Poberezny made it
clear
that
such a
move would
be
harmful
to aviation.
Despite several
attempts
by
EAA
and
others, ethanol-blended gasoline,
all grades, has not
been
able to meet
the
FAA
flight safety fuel certification
standards,
he
wrote. II As a result,
the
operators to receive non-blended fuels.
Gas station operators
and
gasoline dis
tributors are
not
encouraged to provide
non-renewable blended fuel to
the
end
exempted users.
EAA
recommends
two
modifica
tions
to
the bills, which
mirror
rec
ommendations made to individual
states that have considered renewable
fuel mandates: Exempt unleaded pre
mium
grade gasoline with an anti
knock index number
of
91
or
greater
from the fuel mandate, and exempt
all grades
of
aviation gasoline (i.e.,
avgas) from the
requirements
of the
10 percent renewable fuel
mandate.
EAA further recommends the ex
emptions
remain
in place
until the
Department of Transportation can
document
that the industry-chosen
renewable fuel
is
safe to operate in the
engines
and
fuel systems
in
all modes
of transportation, recreational vehi
cles, aircraft,
and
other equipment.
EAA s
Auto
Fuel Alcohol
Test
Kit
With more
states
welcoming
and
even
mandating ethanol in motor fu-
els for
automobiles, EAA
is helping
pilots
who
use
auto
fuel
in their
air
planes
stay safe with a
new alcohol
test kit available
through EAA.
For more
than
30 years, EAA s auto
fuel
supplemental
type certificates
(STCs) for a variety
of manufactured
aircraft have saved aircraft
own
ers money
by allowing them
to use
unleaded auto
fuel.
Such
fuel
with
out ethanol
is safe
and
effective for
lows a
pilot or
aircraft maintenance
technician to
make
preventive
tests
on
auto
fuel, even before fuel is pur
chased for
an
aircraft. Simply pour wa
ter
and
then
auto
fuel
in the
included
test tube,
and
shake it to mix
the
con
tents. When the
mixture
has settled
within five to 10 minutes, a gauge on
the
test
tube
indicates whether
the
water
level
has
risen. An increase
in
the amount of water on the
gauge
indicates that alcohol is present in
the
fuel. The gauge will also indicate
the percentage of alcohol.
EAA s
test
method is simpler than
the
previous
remedies, as much less fuel is used to
make a determination .
EAA s
auto
fuel
test kit
is a
nec
essary
tool
for
every auto
fuel STC
holder, and
it's just
$15,
including
shipping via
U.S.
Postal Service Prior
ity Mail. The kit includes
padded
in
sulation for the test tube, so you can
keep it
in
your aircraft
without
wor
rying
about
breakage.
The
test
kit is
easy to use
and
will last
as
long as
the
glass does.
The test kit can be ordered from
EAA
by calling
920-426-4843 or e-
mailing
DWalker@eaa org
FAA Offers SAIB
Subscription Service
Now
anyone can
be notified in
stantly via e-mail
when
the FAA
issues a special
airworthiness
infor
mation
bulletin
(SAlB). Visit
www
FAA .gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/SAIB
click on
Subscribe
to
this page,
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in
the
late 1990s in an effort to head safety concerns with their aircraft.
off what
the
recreational/general avi Aircraft owners can help avoid fu-
ation community often perceived as
ture ADs by addressing the issues high
the unnecessary issuance of ADs. By
lighted in
SAlEs
that affect their aircraft.
subscribing to the
FAA s SAIB
page, Because of this, and for our own safety,
owners of certificated aircraft are en
EAA and VAA
encourage members
to
sured ins tant notification of potential subscribe to this
FAA
service.
Late Summer
Is for Pioneer Airport
Two growing events at EAA AirVenture Museum's Pioneer Airport are ap
proaching, one that harkens back to aviation s golden
age
and the other, a dual
celebration of flight
and
ground-based transportation.
E
Wings and Wheels
Cars and motorcycles join Pioneer s pristine airplanes for
this
popular late
summer event September 9. Cars and motorcycles of all makes, models, and
years are welcome.
EAA
will also have several airplanes from its collection along
the flightline,
and
photo opportunities will
be
available with these airplanes right
next to the
runway.
Flights
in
one of EAA s vintage Pioneer-based aircraft will also be available,
and kids ages 8-17 can take a free Young Eagles
flight in
aircraft operating
throughout the day.
Registration for cars/cycles is
10
and runs from 8 to
11
a.m. Museum
ad
mission is included for all occupants of the vehicle. (This is a non-judging, just
for-fun show.)
To register, call 920-426-6880 or
e-mail
Museum@eaa orgfor more information.
Relive Aviation s Good
01
Days
EAA Young Eagles
to Soar
Higher
Thanks
to
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips,
which
has sup
ported
the EAA
Young Eagles pro
gram
for
more
than a
decade,
will
provide even more assistance over
the
next
five years, allowing the
program
to expand
Young Eagles
flight activities. The added support
will
enhance the curriculum of
EAA's
web-delivered aerosciences
program; augment
the
offerings
of
EAA's
accredited residential
avia
tion-learning camp in Oshkosh;
offer
more scholarships to
provide
young people with flight train
ing, higher education, and
career
opportunities; and develop addi
tional programs.
Since
the
Young Eagles
program's
inception in
1992,
EAA-member
pilots have
provided first-flight ex
periences to 1.25 million
youth
ages 8
to
17.
Throughout the
year,
EAA s 1,000
local
chapters
conduct
Young Eagles
flight
rallies,
and in
dividual EAA
members regularly fly
Young Eagles.
EAA's
Young
Eagles
and
other
youth-oriented
programs impart
solid values, motivate
achievement
,
and make the study of math,
sci
ence,
and
geography
fun,
said Jim
Mulva,
chairman
and CEO of Cono
coPhillips. ConocoPhillips
is
com
mitted
to
exposing young people
to
these types of engaging and fulfill
ing educational opportunities while
experiencing the
thrill
of flight.
The
EAA
Young Eagles
program
is made possible through the efforts
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eeping it off the floor and easy to worko
Y DONALD
D WATT
SR.
I
have enjoyed being a member of your organiza-
friend mentioned he needed
something
to support his
tion and reading Vintage Airplane When I rebuilt my wings. I sketched out the dolly and he made one.
Stearman I designed a dolly for the wings and center
He gave it to the chapter when he no longer needed
section.
It
was made of wood was inexpensive
and
it
I
lent mine
to
another
member who
was
rebuilding
required a minimum of welding. t a chapter meeting a
a Taylorcraft.
5/16
lock bolt
(Jf
-
/ L - bolts fro
~ ~ T t ~ ~ k ~
~ w leg long
3/4XS
bolt
than top
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industrial
casters
I have enclosed a drawing with my remarks about the
construction. I'm
no
draftsman. Maybe you have someone
who can improve on the drawing. (We sure do. Tom Chipley
did
a
great job for us, in the
same
vein
as
the IIWordless
Work
shop drawings from Popular
Mechanics.-Ed.)
The
Stearman
Restorers Association published the
drawings in their magazine in 1996, and they have given
permission for you to publish them in Vintage
Airplane.
A
chapter could easily make the dolly in a day.
I was tired of asking my wife or a neighbor to help me
move a wing in and out of my garage and turn it over on
the sawhorses. The diagram shows my solution.
The support for the large wheels (mine came from a fer
tilizer
spreader-use
whatever you can get your hands on)
is two 2-by-4s, each 4 feet long. I bolted them
together
adding
and
drilled
a
9/
16
inch
hole
to
tightly
clamp
the 5/8-inch
axles (use whatever
axle size works
for
your wheels).
Then
I dril led
through the top 2
by-4 into
the axle
and drove a
nail to
secure
the
axle. A
hole for a
cotter
pin
was drilled
to
hold
each wheel
in
place.
The top 2-by-4 has a
cutout
for the 4-by
4 vertical
support,
which
is braced as
shown.
(We d sug
gest power-driven
deck
screws with pilot holes
drilled
for
adding the
l-by-4 bracing.-Ed.)
The padded cradle
supports the leading
edge of the wing
and
is not attached to the
the washers on the L-shaped rods. On two of the large wash
ers, drill a hole for a nail so that when the units are lined up
on the 2-by-4 support, a nail through the washer will main
tain alignment.
(We
didn t
show
that
on
the
drawing.-Ed.)
I installed the longer of the L bolts on the bottom so
the forward spar can be started first. The spacing of the
L bolts is for a Stearman and will have to be adjusted for
planes with different dimensions between the spars. Anut
is installed finger-tight on
one
of the L bolts to secure
the spar
in
place. The movable support swivels on a 3/4
foot-by-8-inch bolt with a pipe nipple installed for spac
ing to clear the end of the L bolts.
At
the
upper section of
the
4-by-4, drill a 3/8-inch hole
through
the 4-by-4
support
for a long 5/16-inch bolt to
lock the support in
the
vertical position. You
don't
lock i t
in the horizontal position-the wingtip is held in place by
a sawhorse or two.
The vertical position is great for rib
stitching
and lay
ing
on the
rib tapes.
A friend rebuilt a Cub Cruiser. He used the dolly for
another covering purpose.
He
removed the
L
bolts
and
bolted
the
front
of the fuselage to
the
swivel 2-inch-by
4-inch, supported the rear, and turned the fuselage as
he
shrank
the fabric and applied
the
dope.
Here's my list
of
parts. You
can
adjust
your
list by the
size you need for your dolly.
Remember, the
long rail
should not
extend
all the way to the wingtip; three-quar
ters
of
the way out is
about
right.
1-Z x 4 x 12'
board-main
beam
1_1 x 4 x 8'
board-side
brace for 4 x 4 x 4
1-1 x 4 x 12'
board-end
brace, plus saddle wood
1-2 x 4 x 10'
board-axle
support, caster support
1_2 x 4 x 44 - long support for wing
1_4 x 4 x 4' board
1-5/16 x 8 hex head bolt-lock
bolt
1-3/4
x 8 hex head bolt-pivot bolt
4-3/4 flat washers
6-3/8 flat washers
2_6 shelf brackets (not shown-use to brace 4 x 4
post if needed)
1-1 dia. x 1-1/2 pipe nipple
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Current Editor's Note: This issue of Vintage irplane contains one of a series of
nine
articles pertaining
to
the res
toration of antique and
classic airplanes. Directors
of
the then-named
Antique/Classic Division
of
EAA
originally
wrote
them
in
the
mid-1980s,
but
they are still relevant for today's v intage aircraft enthusiasts.
Our
members have
years of experience
and
a tremendous amount
of
talent; however, it's likely everyone will learn
something new
from
each article. Please let us hear from you; write to
H.G.
Frautschy, Editor, Vintage Airplane,
P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086,
or
e-maiJ VintageAircra [email protected].
HGF
Inspection and storage
Inspection ranges from that casual
walk-around that first got you inter
ested in this project at the beginning
to a complete disassembly and maybe
the use of special tools and procedures.
Since we've already seen the previous
articles on the walk-around, and we've
now toted it home or to a place where
we can work on it or store it, we'll pick
up the series from there.
Paperwork
Paperwork.
Keep
it orderly and in a
safe place
Hopefully the logs check out and the
paperwork and airworthiness directive
AD)
notes are in order. Start a
file
and
keep records of what and how you went
about inspecting each part, and make
notes on
what
you found and how it
should be redone.
If it's a current airframe for
which
erection and maintenance manuals are
on hand or available, you have it made.
If it's an antique or a one-of-a-kind and
there
is
little or no existing information
BY
E.E.
BUCK
HILBERT
EAA 21 le
5
may be an everyday routine item to
someone running a shop. A few words
from a knowledgeable individual may
make a little
hump
out of a mountain
ous problem.
If there is
a type club for
your
air
plane, apply immediately for member
ship. The concentration of knowledge
as
well
as
a source for scarce parts will re
pay your investment many times over.
Don't focus too tightly on details in
all the photographs you take. You'll be
amazed at how helpful an overall
piC
ture can be when reassembly time comes.
Problems of location, position, routing,
attachment methods, etc. don't occur to
you before disassembly, and they can be
come a senseless jigsaw puzzle when reas
sembly time comes, perhaps years later.
This is when a picture truly becomes
worth the proverbial thousand words.
Manuals
EAA
has
how
-
to
publications that
cover almost everything related to air
craft. A complete listing of these publi
Supt. of Documents
DOT
Publications Section
M-4431 Washington,
D.C.
20590
Ask
for
FAA
Advisory Circular check
list AC 00-2 at the GADO. There is a
wide range
of information
available
here, and the price is right Even better,
now you can download many of the ad
visory circulars right to your computer.
If you want to save them, burn them to
a CD and keep it handy.
Get Help
Regarding the inspection and storage
of your project, I must tell you that spe
cialized experience and skills may have
to come into the picture. At this point
I can't do much more than try to guide
you. The actual inspection and the proce
dure you follow are up to you . If you re
motely suspect you need help to evaluate
something, get a mechanic with an in
spection authorization IA) to assist you.
Factors
to onsider
Weather
is
an
important
consider
mailto:VintageAircra([email protected]:VintageAircra([email protected]
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vious accidents.
The scratches and dents
resulting
from everyday use are usually appar
ent, as are pop rivet repairs, stop drilled
holes, tool marks, etc. Note and record
all
of
these marks of
routine
mainte-
nance to keep the airplane flying.
You
can decide later
how
much attention
they will require.
What to Do
ith
ll These
Pieces
Realistically, before you get to this
point
you should already know where
you are going to store
the
parts. You
should have an overall plan dependent
on what type of storage
is
available,
when you plan
to begin
work, what
your shop facility is like, and how much
time you have to devote to the project.
We
've already said a
few
words about
weather and its effects.
Temperature
changes
promote condensation
and
that, added to the contaminants in the
air,
causes electrolysis. That means cor
rosion, rust, and in drastic cases severe
and sometimes irreversible damage.
I recently visited a friend I
hadn t
seen
in years.
Fred had acquired a Cessna 120
about
18
years ago. His idea was to
fix
up the ground loop damage it had sus
tained, and
then
he'd have
an
airplane
to y and share with his wife and kids.
In the meantime, the kids grew up and
left home. The wife and he have gained
so much weight
there is
no way they
could even get into a Cessna 120 much
less get it off the ground.
But the horror part of
this
story
is
that
corroded mass of
aluminum
junk
sitting in the corner of the horse corral
that vaguely resembles a Cessna 120.
The
engine compartment is
still cov
living. A job transfer, lack of time and
money, and finally loss of interest were
all contributory factors.
I
can
relate
other
examples, too I
know where there
is
a Stinson
V-77
and
a
Stearman duster at n
airport in
similar condition. And
the man
who
owns the V-77 has three Stinson 108s in
his garage and backyard. The one in the
garage only needs final assembly; that'll
never happen He now has a heart con
dition, and one day all this stuff will be
carried off to the dump.
So
many times
we have seen this happen. The precau
tions weren't taken to properly store the
airframe and its components in a safe
and dry place.
Where
do
we put it? Garage? Base
ment? Attic? Hangar or loft? If you have
a choice, pick the driest, highest place
you can find and then prepare racks and
supports to hold the parts in a safe and
secure manner so as to preserve them.
The wings can be stored flat against the
wall up high on brackets with the lead
ing edges down. Or they can be racked
on
"H" frames and hung from the rafters
or joists. I find this to be the best
way.
The wings for my Swallow projec t
back I did back in the 1970s" all four of
them, were stored up high this way in a
commercial trucking garage. They sur
vived more than 40 years to be used again
with only minor repairs and, of course, a
re-cover. This method gets them up and
away from the mice and the destruction
they cause. The tail feathers also can be
stored in the same manner.
The
fuselage presents
more of
a
problem. With the engine and gear at
tached, it takes up a lot of room. It can
take up more than one stall in a two-car
have 11 Stearman bare bones fuselages
stored here at the farm. They're stacked
four high against the far wall with the
tail feathers, gas tanks, landing gears,
wheels, and all kinds of stuff wedged
and
stuffed
in between and around.
This was
to
be
temporary and
a favor
to a friend almost four years ago. Ev
erything
is
high and dry and subject
to minimum
weather conditions. We
used
some planning
when we stored
the
stuff, and as a result we can still
get vehicles in and out. There
is
even
room for a Hummer Ultralight, a motor
home, and some other stuff.
Hard and fast rules are
hard
to dic
tate. I can t stress one thing enough-
don t cover an aircraft or its parts with
wool blankets or tarps that capture and
hold moisture. Dust covers are nice, but
in this case, it's sometimes better to just
leave components in the open
air.
Hang the prop horizontally from the
hub.
Don t
stand it in a corner Engine
and steel parts are best protected in a
dry atmosphere with a light coating of
grease or oil. Frequent checks should
be made
to
assure no rusting
is
occur
ring. Spray can
technology
has given
preservation a break. LPS-3 in an aero
sol container provides
an
easily applied
protective film good
for
at least a couple
of years of normal storage. An engine
with several hundred hours on it will
withstand
storage much better
than
a
zero-timer. For any kind of storage, long
or short, get out the book and follow
the manufacturer's recommendations.
Don t
expect to
run
an
engine
im
mediately after a long period of storage.
It at least will need some tender loving
care
and
maybe
even a top overhaul
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Cliff Evans left) and
George
Truman
right) with
the PA-12
Super Cruiser
at
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania,
when
they picked
up their
aircraft
from
Piper Aircraft Corp. and
before
the
McCauley
metal prop was installed). he City of the ngels
had previously been used
in
the
Piper
Taxicub service.
George
Truman
left)
and Cliff Evans right) with he
City
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Restorer
David
Liebegott and
owner
Harry Mutter
with
he City o the ngels
at
Pl
ant C
ity Flor
ida
in April
2006.
late summer 1947, they had prepared
themselves to become the first pilots
to circumnavigate the globe, crossing
both
the Atlantic
and
Pacific oceans in
aircraft with 100-hp engines.
The Flight
Truman
and
Evans departed Teter
boro, New Jersey, on August 9 1947
with little more than small change jin
gling
in
their pockets
and an
Esso Gas
credit
card. Truman
launched
first,
and the
two soon lost sight
and
radio
contact with each
other
on their first
leg
and
landed at Presque Isle, Maine.
The next day, they flew
on
to Goose
Bay Labrador, where they
encoun
tered a weather delay. They
landed
at Bluie West One Greenland on
August 12,
where
they were further
delayed when they became ill with
influenza.
On
August 24, they arrived
at Meeks Field in Reykjavik, Iceland,
and on
August 28,
they
landed at
Cairo, Egypt.
On
September 11, they
flew 808 miles from Farouk Field
in
Cairo
to
Baghdad, Iraq. Then
i t
was
on to Dhahran
Saudi Arabia,
where
they
were detained for six
days by
authorities. They arrived in Karachi,
Pakistan, on September 19,
and when
they arrived in Jodhpur India,
they
were treated as guests
at
the mahara
jah s palace.
They reached the halfway point
in
their
flight
around the
world in seven
weeks time, when they flew from Cal
cutta, India, over
the
Burmese jungles
and
arrived
in
Rangoon. Next, they
flew over
the
rugged mountain bor
der from Burma into Bangkok, Siam,
and then on to Hanoi, Indochina. On
September
29, they arrived in Hong
Kong, where
they
were delayed by
typhoons until October
5.
Later, Tru
man and Evans found it necessary to
land
in Amoy, China-an unplanned
s top-due to
80-mph head
winds.
When
Bill
Piper Sr.
turned the
planes
over
to the
pilots,
he couldn t help
but question them
as
to why
they
w nted to make a
fool trip like
this.
cort for
the
Super Cruisers during
the
flight-one
out of]apan and the
other
one
out of the Aleutians. On October
31,
Truman and
Evans departed for
Adak Island, escorted
once
again
by
a B-17,
along
with a Navy PBY Cata
lina. On November 2 they arrived
at
Fort Randall in Cold
Bay
Alaska,
and
they reached Anchorage
on
Novem
ber 4. Snowstorms and
strong
winds
delayed
them
until
November
II .
Days later,
the
pair finally
made
it to
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
The
day
before Thanksgiving, they
departed
Lethbridge
to fly about
1,200 miles
nonstop
to Los Angeles,
California-rolling
their
wheels
on
mainland America once more. Since
Piper had dealers all across the coun
try, Truman
and
Evans
made
stops
at
Phoenix
Arizona; El Paso, Texas;
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David Liebegott, restorer, and Hall} Mutter, owner, have flown legs of the
original
route o
Truman
and Evans world flight
in Canada and
the
United States.
arting Ways
The glory of Truman
and
Evans
global flight soon faded, and the two
men pursued diverging pathways.
v-
ans left his family and went to China
to fly for Maj. Gen . Chennault s air
line in support of Chinese national
ists; he passed away in 1975. Truman
became a military flight
instructor
and passed
away
on January 28,
1986-the same day the space shuttle
Challenger exploded.
The
pair of PA-12s also parted
ways, but unlike mere mortals, air-
The
right
side o
the fuselage
bears
the
names of
all the
cities where Truman
and
Evans
landed
on their world flight.
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Truman s name is
painted on the door.
1952. Ray Allison and
John
Cornish
bought
it
in 1958, and
the
PA-12
stayed in Virginia with
them for years, slowly
fading into
a
closed
chapter
of
aviation his
tory. Apparently
this
historical
airplane
lan
guished for decades,
and eventually its reg
istration certificate was
revoked
in 1971 be
cause
the
FAA hadn t
received the required
aircraft
registra t ion
form. When Allison
and Cornish restored
the airplane
to
air
worthy
status
in
1991,
The City
of
the Angels is
equipped for
VFR flight today
as opposed to its
IFR
world-flight
configuration.
Mutter, a self-described Pennsylvania
country
boy, started building and
fly-
ing model planes
when he
was 10
and
was hooked
on
aviation by the time
he
was a teen. He and his classmates
hiked 6 miles from their school to New
Hanover Airport to see the airplanes.
Before
he
left the airport, he d had his
first airplane ride, in a
J 3
Cub, for the
mighty sum of
one
dollar.
He
learned
to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squad
ron scholarship at Layfield Airport near
his hometown of Boyertown, Pennsyl
vania, and soloed a Cub on May 22,
1946. He earned his private certificate
in
August 24, 1947-just about
two
weeks
after
Truman
and
Evans
em
barked on
their
global
flight adventure.
The
years rolled
by
and
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Mutter
donated this his-
toric
Super Cruiser to
the
Piper
Aviation
Museum
during
the
Sentimental
Journey fly in this summer.
surprised Mutter with the news that
he owned
The City
of
the
ng
e
s
and
wanted
it
to
be preserved
in
a mu
seum , similar to its sister ship, The
City
of
Washington
By January 1997, Mutter
had
pur
chased The
City
of the
n-
gels and was developing
a strategy to restore
the
Super Cruiser to its post
world-flight
appear
ance (but not its entire
original configura
tion) by appealing to
various companies
and
individuals
for
support. After all,
that
was
how
Tru
man and
Evans
had acquired
the
airplanes and
equipment
explains
Mutter
, "is
not
to ask for
money-you
ask
for components."
Mutter also knew
the project
would require a talented individual
to complete the labor-intensive res
toration , and
he had
just
the
man in
mind.
He had
met
David Liebegott,
owner
of Classic Magic Aviation in
Duncansville, Pennsylvania, at a pre
vious Sentimental Journey fly-in
and
listened closely when Liebegott, who
had completed several re storations,
commented,
Some day
I'm going
to make a name for myself by restor
ing a famous airplane. " Mutter tele
phoned him
as
soon
as
he bought the
historical PA-12 and said, "Dave,
do
you remember
what
you said? Well, I
have the airplane for you "
Liebegott was true to his word,
and ended
up volunteering
1,500
man-hours of his
time
and
talents
to restore that airplane to museum
going to do it right, or I'm not going
to do
it.'
That
was fine
with
him, so
we took it apart
and
made the neces
sary repairs, and put a new nosebowl
and boot cowl on it. I covered it with
Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph
nitrate-butyrate dope system."
The airframe restoration progressed
pretty smoothly, but they were in for
another disappointment
when the
engine was inspected. "My
lA
, Russ
Vicars, pulled the jugs off and found
out
they
were
pitted
on the inside,"
says Liebegott, "so I called Harry
and said, 'By the way, we're going to
spend $5,200 of your money on new
cylinders and a
carburetor.' Harry
called
Lycoming
,
but
they
were
on
strike
at
that time, and he couldn't
get
through-so
we
went
ahead and
bought the parts we needed."
Mutter shares an interesting side
note about the original engine, ex
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cities where the twosome landed, as
well as The City
of
the Angels
on
each
side of
the
nose.
If
you closely examine the flags and
insignia, you might wonder just
how
Liebegott painted
them
in such accu
rate detail. The answer starts with Mut
ter's visit to the Smithsonian National
Air & Space Museum, where the origi
nal fabric panel from
The City
of
Wash-
ington
was preserved. They pulled the
fabric out for me, and I had a view
graph with a l/2-inch grid scale that I
photographed each flag with, and that
it's signed by Truman, not Evans. I
asked if I could have a copy
of
it, and
she ended
up
sending me the original
logbook. The Smithsonian has been
most generous
with
me. I found some
interesting things
in it, too-such
as the receipt for overnight airplane
parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta
health certificate releasing Truman
and his airplane to leave Calcutta.
Full ircle
Liebegott test flew
The City
of
the
ngels
on May
13, 1998, and four
Truman and Evans
landed.
We flew
from Van Nuys, California, to Teter
boro, New
jersey,
in
1999, and
by
now we have about 350 hours
on
the
airplane. We've also been to Oshkosh
and
Sun
'n Fun with it. We've had
our fun with it, haven't we, Dave?
And last year,
the two men
shared
yet another significant milestone when
they attended the National Aviation
Heritage Invitational at Dayton, where
The City
of
the Angels
won the
presti
gious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005, East
ern Region Winner for Best Classic.
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I
f residents
of
Hasbrouck
Heights, New Jersey, looked to
the east in 1924 they might see,
200 feet below, a large expanse
of
clear, flat land that was Teterboro
Airport. Still
in
its relative infancy,
i t
was bursting with the vigor of eager
young
men
who
were bathing in
the
excitement the adventure and the
glow of
opportunity that
energized
the
place. This former marshland was
already a waypoint and destinat ion for
many early pioneers of aviation and
hosted such personalities as Clarence
arold G Scheck
EAA 9921, VAA 75)
Y
ROBERT G.
KROLL
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Left: Scheck expertise restoring
Fairchild
22s
is well
-
known. Here
s
his
restoration
of
a 22
powered
with
a Warner engine.
It s
currently
registered
t Lee Pearson of
Plymouth,
Massachusetts.
HIS PURCHASE
OF TWO PROPELLERS
THAT
HAD
BEEN
ADVERTISED
BY
CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN
IN
TRADE A PLANE
SPARKED A
FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS
LONGTIME HERO.
Like any airport kid, Scheck's
presence was accepted by
the
pilots
and mechanics, which engendered
an undying enthusiasm and curiosity
about airplanes and engines that
have persisted to this day. So it was
not surprising that when his teacher
assigned the class to write what they
would like to be
when
grown up, 12
year-old Scheck wrote this poem
as
to
why he would like to be a pilot.
I want to be a pilot
For
I love
the
whistling breeze.
And the roar of the turning motor,
As we soar o er the trees.
I want to be a pilot
And
fly
all about
Without a map or highway
Clarence (white jacket) and Harold
(second
right) in
front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold.
The
other men in the
photo are not
identified.
reputation for diligently
serving
the needs of
fixed base operators and
the
burgeoning antique
aircraft restoration
movement.
His purchase
of two
propellers tha t h d
been advertised by
Clarence Chamberlin
in
Trade A P lane
sparked a friendship
with his long t ime
hero
.
Chamberlin
was
particularly impressed
with Scheck s restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on
his Menasco
of a Fairchild 22. powered
Fairchild 22.
By 1951, Scheck had
earned his private pilot certificate
with
Ed Gorski, who had taken over
Lincoln Park Airport
in
New Jersey.
He
went on
to add a seaplane and
multiengine land and sea rating at
North American Aviation on
the
Hackensack
River
in
Little
Ferry
,
New Jersey. It was there that Scheck
and gained an airframe and engine
rating. He
has
owned or restored
more
than 35 antique aircraft: one of
which, a Fairchild 24, was donated to
the
EAA
AirVenture Museum.
Along
with Chuck
Hohler, a pilot
of Eastern
Air
Lines,
Scheck was
the
founder
of the
Paramus
Flying
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covered, metal-structured wings.
s it evolved, the 170 developed a
more angular profile,
with
squared
off all-metal wings. By 1953,
the
de
sign saw a
major jump,
as the core
of the 170 design was morphed into
the
Cessna 180, a 225-hp workhorse.
While
the
170B continued
in
produc
tion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it
in 1956,
the
180 and its cousin the
185 were part of
the
Cessna product
line
into the
1980s.
The
180 design saw the basic 170
structure revised with a set of squared
off tail surfaces
and
a triangular dorsal
fin, along with a trimmable stabilizer
and reshaped windows. The biggest
change was engineering
the
new en
gine installation, which saw
the
180 s
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skis, on floats,
or
on wheels, the 180
seems to have a lot of check marks in
the
can do it
column
.
Dean Richardson of Madison, Wis
consin, is a longtime VAA volunteer
and the chairman of VAA Classic
judging.
He
's no
stranger
to Cessna
aircraft. Along with a few
other
air
planes,
he s owned and
restored
award-winning copies
of the
170
and
a 1952
Air
Force LC-126-C (the mili
tary version of the Cessna 195),
both
of which were award winners at
EAA
Oshkosh. The stone original 1952
170B took
home the
Best
of
Type
that experience he
didn t
stop, moving on to a Cessna
T 41
, restored to its original
military configuration.
This time , he
set
out
to
do it
right, all the way
down to the original mili
tary radios and locking
inertia
reel shoulder
har
nesses. I t won
the Best
Liaison Airplane
in
the
Warbirds area
in
1989 and
a Silver Wrench Award
(the Gold Wrench that
year went
to an
Avro
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Above: The instru-
ment
panel
of the
180 now features
a Gannin avionics
stack
but
is oth-
erwise original.
Patience
and
persistence
payoff for Dean Richard-
son as he
was
able to track down a pair of pristine
original
Cessna
wheelpants after 51F
had
won the
Grand Champion
Contemporary
Lindy
at EAA AirVen-
ture Oshkosh 2005. After liberating
them
from
their
original Cessna
packaging
Dean polished
the
pair
and installed
them
with little modification needed
Left:
This extra
bit of
5/16 inch
wide plastic/
chrome trim
avail-
able
at automo-
tive
stores helps
detail the edges
of
the wheelpants.
The doorframes and
sill
plates
were
are carefully reshot with
the
proper
paint
color. The
seat
cushions are
original leather seating that was
or-
dered
when
the
airplane was new with
a
bronze and tawny
mist color
scheme.
It
was part
of the deluxe
interior op-
tion package.
POint, Texas. Bill Ambrosich has been
a
pilot
for most of his ranching life,
and the
180 was certainly a great tool
for working a pair of ranches in Colo
rado
and
Texas. But he felt
he
needed
to go back to a different airplane, so
he was willing to part with his 180.
Bill and Dean came to an agree
ment on the airplane over the phone,
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rolling nearly all of the trip, since a
moderately packed cloud deck kept
us under the cumuli for most of the
flight.
We
routinely saw groundspeeds
of well over 175 knots, which neither
one of us were used to, having flown
airplanes with true airspeeds around
100
mph
or so We zoomed home to
Madison with one fuel stop in Leba
non Missouri. The leading edge of
the cold front was well into central
Wisconsin
by the time we
reached
the
Quad Cities near Moline, Illinois,
and by checking the weather ahead of
our projected course, we were able to
work our way
north
to the state line,
at which
point the Madison
airport
reported
conditions that varied be
tween marginal
VFR
and
IFR. A call
to the Madison tower slipped us into
the airspace as the airport was report
ing marginal
VFR
conditions,
and
we
landed with a total elapsed time of 4.7
hours (including a fuel stop of about
35-40 minutes), averaging 170 knots
over the ground. f we'd tried to make
the
same trip in
an
airliner, from Den
ton to Madison, we'd have
taken a lot longer
Once
home
Dean
started to make his list
of
areas where
the
already
nice-looking and well-kept
Cessna could look
even
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(and are the ones you see in the air
to-air photos on these pages),
but
they did not come with the airplane
from the factory.
The
instrument
panel
and the
preserved interior were among the
features that tilted this
airplane in
Dean's favor. It had all the original
instruments, including
the
direc
tional and attitude gyros, along with
the
original radios. One more factor
working for Dean was the airplane's
paperwork.
Each
of
the
previous
owners had kept all of the paperwork
for the airplane, including the Cessna
purchase
agreement equipment
list
from
when the
airplane was first de
livered
to
a pipeline company. Most
likely it was used as its executive
/em
ployee transport
to
operations in
the
field. The airplane shows very little
utility
work wear,
even
though it's
spent a good portion
of
its lif
etime
working
for pipeline and machine
shop companies.
On
i t were listed
the
pOinted spinner, the deluxe
interior
with green/brown leather seats, and
the
exter
ior
courtesy lights in
the
wings. I t seemed to have just about
every option you could buy, with
the
exception of a heated pitot tube.
The more Dean looked,
the
better
he felt about the project, and he real
ized that if he really hit it hard, he
could have a show-quality Cessna by
the time
the
summer fly-in season ar
rived. The
exterior
paint was good,
if a bit worn
and
faded, but a strong
polish job brightened
i t
up
consider
ably. He spent time working on
the
interior, having a
new headliner
in
stalled
by
Eric Paradise
(then
of Wis
consin
Aviation, now
in
Reedsburg,
Wisconsin)
that
closely
matched
the
original
and
installing a set of much
needed shoulder harnesses.
He also worked diligently
to
repair
the
plastic side panels using a plastic
welding kit he picked
up
at his local
hardware store. After
the
plastic heat
welding repair was
done, to prevent
cracking
again Dean
backed up the
repair with a
thin
leather patch at
tached with contact
cement
to the
back side
of
the repaired panel. He
has found that this works very well
over a long period of time.
Once
they were repainted, along
with
the
small metal trim around the
windows
and doorsills, the repairs
became invisible. The leather seats
needed a cleanup but were in other
wise excellent
condition.
The origi
nal tinted windshield didn't need too
much
work, but quite a bit of time was
spent
detailing the engine, and Wis
consin Aviation helped
out
with a new
a radio package with a Garmin suite of
navigation/communication radios.
A few
of
the instruments were
overhauled
and
re-installed, helping
boost
the
personal score
Dean had
given
the
airplane. He figured
when
he bought it
the
interior was about
a 6 out
of
10, and the exterior a 7
or
8. With the
exception of
an ad
ditional
logo
on
the tail,
and the
af
termarket wheelpants,
nothing else
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Not only do these tires set your vintage plane
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8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Aug 2006
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on the
airplane would result in major
deduction
points. The radio installa
tion would
not
result in a deduction,
nor
would
the
newer brakes
(a
safety
item)
or
the strobe lights (another
safety addit ion).
A
bit
of skin work did need
to
be
done
on the
flight
control
surfaces .
While
not
terrible, it was pretty obvi
ous that
at
one
point the
airplane
had
gotten caught outdoors during a hail
storm. Dean had
the
ailerons, tops of
the elevators, and
horizontal
tail re
skinned by a shop in Louisiana.
Having done all that, he left the air
plane home when he came to Oshkosh
for AirVenture, unsure
whether
he
should bring it for judging. After all,
he'd been involved in Classic airplane
judging
for many years, and
even
though he wasn't involved in
Con
temporary judging, he
didn't
want to
put anyone in a difficult position.
Once he started showing
other
VAAers
photos of his new project, ev
eryone
encouraged him,
both
Con
temporary judges and others, to go
to Madison and get the airplane so it
runway and maintenance
rash. He'd
paid particular
attention
to
the
little
areas
that
always seem to show wear,
such
as
the door
side
panels, the
doorframe and
door sill plates,
and
the door
seals,
which
needed to be
replaced.
All
were neatly touched up,
and
the
rest of
the
airplane showed
great attention
to
detail and
was
original
in its configuration.
Three
days later, at
the awards ceremony
in EAA s Theater in the Woods, Dean
was stunned
to
hear
that
he'd won
the Grand
Champion Contemporary
Lindy for
EAA
AirVenture 200S.
After
being recognized hands
down as
the
most original Cessna 180
at
EAA AirVenture 200S, you'd
have
thought it
might
be time to relax. But
I know Dean pretty well and knew
that would never happen.
"I never leave well enough alone,
since I love working
on
airplanes, so I
kept
wanting to
get everything origi
nal," he said .
The next item
on
his list?
Original Cessna wheel pants.
Dean placed a few ads in some of
A deal was struck,
and
a few days
later the delivery man dropped
off
the
boxes marked "Cessna Aircraft,"
and
Dean
very
carefully op e ned
them, gently pulling the
staples.
As
he
folded back
the
box
tops,
it
was
like
Christmas and the
discovery of
King Tut's
tomb
all rolled
into one
.
There, peeking
out
from
the
packing
foam
and
blue plastic wrapping, was
a pair of never-installed Cessna fac
tory
wheel pants, along
with the
bits
and
pieces for installation .
For days
he
carefully removed
the
plastic wrap, which over the years
had
deteriorated and
was
stuck more firmly
to
the
aluminum
than
was intended. A
bit of solvent
t
loosen
the
light adhe
sive on
the
plastic film did
the
trick,
and he was the proud papa of a pair of
perfect pantaloons for his Cessna.
There was
one minor
difference in
the
pants
as manufactured and
their
installation on the
1966 180H-the
Cleveland double-puck brake caliper
on
the later model was in front of
the
landing gear,
and
these pants were set
up for the smaller
Goodyear
brakes
on the back.
By swapping
sides
and
axles (and keeping
the
shims in place
for the proper toe-in) the pants were
a
near
perfect fit, with
hardly
any
trimming needed for fitting.
One more detail, after polishing,
was added to
the pants
. Dean has
never cared for the rather unfinished
look of the very edge on the bottom
of
the
Cessna
wheelpants,
but
he
spotted something at
an automotive
store
that
he
knew
would solve the
problem. It was a chrome-plated plas
tic trim section (see photo)
that
has
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Bob Gibbs an Ramsey
elpre
, OH
• GIBBS Ratings: Commercial,
Instrument,
Flight
Instructor
• RAMSEY Ratings :
Commercia/
Single
Engine
,
Multi-engine
,
Instrument
• Owners :
1943 Stinson Reliant
V-77
AT-19
1943 Stearman N-252 N67454
AUA
is
my insurance company because they are dependable.
hen I cali, a courteous and knowledgeable person answers
the phone and expedites the matter.
Sob Gibbs
IN MEMORY
O
D N
RAMSEY
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REARWIN SKYRANGER
Duane
Wething, of Detroit Lakes, ley,
Minnesota. Jim
has
owned the and
repainting including
a
Stits
Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years, and Poly-Fiber cover job, were done by
of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger. Duane it was in storage for 20 years after
the
restorer
who
also
added
new
just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm. A glass and a
neatly
duplicated origi
fall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw-
complete
strip-down
inspection nal-style interior.
1948
LUSCOMBE
Doug Kingsley of Parker,
Colorado owned this beau
tiful Luscombe when it was
restored,
and
John Greiner of
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1963
BEECHCR FT MUSKETEER
23
The
contemporary
owners
are really going to
town
with
some of
their
aircraft
and
owner Keith Greene of Alma,
Arkansas, has really got some
thing fine to fly and show off.
His '63 Musketeer, N8748M,
serial number M-536, was a
training airplane until Keith's
purchase
in
2004. Keith cred
its
Bill
Gray of Gray's Aviation
with
help
dismantling
and
rebuilding the
airframe. Bill
Gray's son, Don, who owns a paint
shop
across the airport
from Bill's Aviation, was responsible for executing the sharp
reproduction of
the
Beechcraft color scheme. Keith also cred
its the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the in
terior work. He'd also like to
thank
all the
other
friends and
associates who helped
him
with his Beech.
send your photos to:
Vintage Aircraft Association
What Our Members Are Restoring, P O . Box 3086
Oshkosh,
WI
54903-3086
CESSNA
195
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BY
DOUG EWART
Gee
. . .
nice-looking
airplane
you've got there,
Doug. What
year
is it? I was asked the
other
day as
I
stood
atop a ladder, filling up the
tanks of my Super Cruiser at
the
self
serve fuel pump at the Columbia
County Airport. It's a '47 I replied
as I wriggled my
nose
to adjust my
bifocal glasses so
that
I could see the
meter on the
pump . It's four years
younger
than
I am, I continued
as
I
carefully climbed down, making sure
to
not
miss any rungs
on
the ladder.
This
got me to thinking: You
know, it wasn't that many years ago
that climbing up
the
ladder was your
concern, what with your slight fear of
heights
a
condition that I've found I
share with many another pilot). Now
you're more concerned with coming
down
the
ladder and
the
possibility
that
you
might
trip
and
fall if you're
less
than
careful.
You
know, Stewart,
maybe
your
age
is
starting
to show.
You're overcoming your phobias,
and
Gettin'
ol
minds me of my mortality.
The old
adage about old pilots and bold pilots
takes
on
more significance with each
passing day. All
these
things,
and
more, are some of
the
positive aspects
that come with aging.
Say
again
becomes a
frequent phrase
in out
pilot/controller
vocabulary as
our hearing
times do, impact our flying in a nega
tive sense
as
we age.
Probably
the
first
thing
we
notice
starting
to
go
hang
on here, I'll
remember
what
it was
in
just a sec
ond oh, yeah, now I remember
is our
vision. It isn't long after we see
the
notation
on
our medical certifi
cate
stating
corrective lenses must
be carried in the cockpit
that
we
find we
actually
have to start wear
ing
them, rather than
just
stuffing
them
in
the
door
pocket.
Even be
fore I found that the seat wouldn't go
far enough back in a Mooney Ranger
for me to be able to read
the
gauges
without glasses, I was cognizant that I
would have to start reluctant ly wear
ing those half-lens reading glasses to
see the instruments.
Now I'm wearing bifocal glasses
that help me out not only with read
ing the
gauges,
but
also for distance
vision
as
well. Rather
than
having to
squint out through the
windshield to
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minishes; it takes longer for the eyes
to adjust from near to far objects
and
vice versa;
the
muscles of
the
eyes be
come less responsive over time and
take longer to adjust to changes in
the environment
as well as
changes
when moving focal points between
near and far; and the eyes take longer
to adjust
to
dark because the weak
ened muscles of
the
eyes cause
the
eyes to dilate less quickly.
Vision
is
certainly
not
the only
thing to
be affected
by the aging
process. "Say again "
becomes
a
frequent phrase in
out
pilot/control
ler vocabulary
as our
hearing dimin
ishes. In most people a weakening of
the muscles
is
normal as they age. En-
durance is diminished. Oxygen
is not
used as efficiently, and
the
muscles
lose their elasticity. Awareness of im
pending risk
is
delayed. Eye
and
body
muscles react
more
slowly, resulting
in a delayed response time.
Space and distance are misjudged
more
frequently, and our reaction
time
slows.
Responding to factors
may require
more
time and space,
because correct actions require per
ception, evaluation, and motor
response (muscle) time. In fact, re
acting to a hazard may take twice
as
long for a pilot who has moved
into
middle age
(40-54)
and
up to four
times longer after age S or so.
l t is obvious how all
these
is
sues will affect
our
flight safety,
and
one might think
a pilot would
have
enough sense to be much more care
ful
and adjust
his personal
mini
mums
to
compensate
for the effects
of aging. But one of
the
insidious
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it
would
seem
that
it sure
would
be
wise for all of us older pilots to have
annual medical checkups and, espe
cially, annual eye checkups, includ
ing
checks for cataracts, glaucoma,
macular degeneration, diabetic reti
nopathy,
and other
eye
conditions
associated with aging.
Some
other
recommendations in
clude using cockpit resource manage
ment (CRM), especially passengers
to aid you in
the
job of "seeing
and
avoiding;" keeping your windshield
clean; adjusting your seat to maxi
mize
visibility
outside
th
e
cockpit,
using cushions if
the
seat
is not
ad
justable; avoiding tinted lenses at
night; wearing sunglasses
when
it is
bright out; and avoiding glasses
with
wide frames or heavy temples, being
sure the frames do
not inhibit
side
vision
or
create difficulty
in
seeing
the
entire field of vision.
Avoid being in a hurry, and
don t
let air traffic
control rush
you
(this
applies to all pilots regardless of age,
but especially
to the
older pilot).
ing. Go beyond a flight review
once
every 24 calendar months; go beyond
an annual Wings program. Do as the
airlines and air-taxi pilots do get
recurrent training every six months
It
is
sometimes difficult for me to
accept some of
the
shortcomings
the
aging process has inflicted
upon
me,
but
I am cognizant of
them and
have
factored them into my personal mini
mums,
not only when I am flying,
but
also in all the
other
wonderful
activities that I undertake. However,
I also know that the aging process is
not
all a
negative.
I
certainly
have
much more
patience,
compassion,
and-I think I can say-wisdom than
I did not too
many
years ago.
Aging
is
not
all bad. I
certainly
know this
when
I visit EAA AirVen
ture Oshkosh every year. For me, the
most
beautiful and awe-inspiring air
planes
that
fly
to this
aviation mecca
are all parked south of the Red Barn
To
all the wonderful Vintage pilots,
whether
you are
young
or old, may
you be blessed with blue skies and
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A
serviceable cord r
arly
on
in the history of avi
should have
a
ation it became clear that a
landing gear with some "give" smooth outer cover-
or shock absorption capabili- ing, with no bumps
ties was desirable. The early or
disruptions to
the
woven cover.
ThisBleriot
and other
pioneer aircraft used
one
looks good, but
thin tires set on wire-spoked wheels, and
age
and
repeated
while they were great for clearing the
landing
cycles have
humps and bumps of the local pasture,
they didn't soak up the bumps too well,
taken their toll.
so a second level of shock absorption
was added-rubber shock cording.
or decades, woven fabric-covered shock cord (often
ca
lled
bungee cord) was
the
most
common
of all shock absorbers.
In fact,
it
was so ubiquitous, used on so
many
different civil
ian and military aircraft, that it was even the subject of a mili-
No, it's not some new exotic
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This same cord
showed some signs of
abrasion
damage to
the
woven
covering
where
the
shock cord was in
constant
contact with the
landing
gear structure.
This
cord shows
obvious
signs of damage to the outer cover
ing
and to
the rubber
strands inside. The bumps
and breaks
in
the
covering
indicate
many
broken strands
of rubber
in
side
the
shock
cord.
This cord
must be replaced.
MIL C-5651D
Shock
Cord
Dating System
e
color
code repeats on
a
five year
cycle.
First color stripe
:
1997 Red
1998 B1ue
1999 Yellow
2000 B1ack
2001 Green
2OO2 Red
2003 8lue
Most
normal
humans
would not
be able
to
pull
on a 3/4-inch shock
cord and
be able
to
stretch it
but
this
cord
had
deteriorated
to
such
possible for
me to do so
tary speCification, MIL-C-S6S1D. It's still
commonly used in the military
and
for
civilian use. Double-covered shock cord
is
Type I; shock rings with a double
braided cover are Type II.
These cords are made with a core of
rubber threads and a layer of woven cot
ton cording to protect the easily dam
aged rubber. Shock cord used in aviation
applications has a pair of woven outer
layers. The actual diameter of the rub
ber strip bundle
is
not the only factor
that controls
how much
force
is
needed
to stretch a cord. Made of heavy cotton
thread, the woven cover serves another
not -so-
obvious
function it controls
the level of force required to stretch the
cord (the cord's "modulu
s )
. The tighter
the cover
is woven over the rubber strip,
the
greater
the
force required
to
elon
gate
the
cord. Manufacturers can also
vary the ratio
of
rubber strip
and the
cover yarn to control
the modulus
of
the
cord. That's why it's important to
keep the cover intact; i t
not only
pro
tects the rubber strip from
premature
exhaust residue. Keeping the outer cover
landing gear seem excessively soft?
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clean goes a long way toward keeping
the rubber from deteriorating. That's
why
on
a Cub or other similar landing
gear systems, leather or vinyl boots
are
used to cover the shock cords.
If
you've owned an airplane that is
equipped with shock cords as part of
the landing gear, you know how impor
tant it is to check the cords, to avoid a
letdown feeling when one of the cords
lets go with a sharp report. But what
do you look for? How do you know it's
time
for
a replacement? Do you use the
calendar, the appearance of the cord, or
the cord's date of manufacture?
The answer is all three While a cord
may look perfectly fine,
i f
it's been sit
ting unprotected on the shelf in a hot
hangar for years, odds are the rubber
strip inside has deteriorated to such
an extent
that
a few cycles of stretch
ing will create a lumpy, useless mess.
You ve probably seen what can happen
to a set of shock cords when an airplane
has been left sitting out in the open
for
years.
It
doesn't seem to take very long
for the landing gear to begin to splay
outwards, and before you know it, the
gear
is
near collapse.
Do
your best to
obtain
fresh shock
cords when it comes time to change out
a cord. Each outer layer of the woven
cord made to the exacting standards
re-
quired for the mil spec will contain a pair
(or sometimes a trio) of colored treads,
which indicate the date of manufacture.
The mil spec defines the meaning of the
colored yarn.
See
the chart included in
this article for details. The military re-
quires a shock cord or ring be packaged
and delivered no later than six months
Even
when the cords have been well
protected, the interior of the shock cords
will deteriorate over time and will need
replacement. Evidence of that wear is
most often seen in
the
form of surface
irregularities in the covering.
Bumps, tears, or other disruptions in
the smooth woven cover tell you some
thing's amiss under that cotton wrap. Is
there discoloration on the cover, indi
cating possible exposure to chemicals or
oil, or is it dirt and grime from a lifetime
of living
on
the belly of an airplane?
Take a look at the photos in this ar-
ticle. These shock cords had been in ser
vice for 14 years on an Aeronca Sedan.
A pair of rings is used on each side, for
a total of four shock cord rings. I'd no
ticed that the gear seemed rather soft
when
the
wings were rocked up and
down, and the gear seemed splayed out
more
than
normal. Also knowing that
the age of the cords was at least 14 years,
I made plans to change the cords during
the annual inspection. While one cord
looked pretty good, the other, manu
factured four years earlier (evidenced by
different color-code cords in the woven
covering) had obvious defects.
Once the decision has been made to
replace the cords, caution must be ex
ercised to prevent injury. These shock
cords can recoil with tremendous force
once stretched.
For the Piper Cub and its brethren, a
few
enterprising companies have made
special tools for stretching
and
install
ing the cords. In
other
cases, a special
tool
is
not needed, but do avoid the
use
of sharp or pointed tools to lever or pry
the shock rings in place. Disrupting the
continued from p ge
Home, Washington, which is near Se-
attle. Now, I'm not going to reveal a
lot of detail here in this column, be
cause there is a really neat story to be
told here, and I am hopeful that be
tween Sam and H.G.,
our
editor, you
will have the opportunity to read all
about this
great
adventure
Sam was
on when
he arrived at SMD in Fort
Wayne, Indiana.
But what I will reveal here is
that
Sam
had
just purchased his second
1929 Bird
in
the Long Island, New
York, area nearly six weeks earlier.
You
will likely learn
about
his first
Bird
in
the
future article.
So,
here was
60-year "Young Sam Dodge" (this is
how he
signs his e-mails) six weeks
into this adventure
of
get ting his Bird
home
to
Home, Washington,
from
Long Island, New York,
with
all of
25
hours of
tailwheel time
in
his
logbook, forging
his
way across
the
United States.
Now I have to tell you, this is one
interesting gentleman. Sam is a for
mer
Hollywood
producer who
left
the industry and
became
a stay-at
home
dad
for his two sons some 20
years ago. Sam ended up spending
the
whole July
Fourth
holiday with
us
at
SMD,
and
we
had
a
great
time
together. We assisted
him with
some
minor maintenance
items
on the
Bird
and
then sent
my
new friend
on
his way
to
finish his great adventure.
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E E BUCK HILBERT
ne more turn on turnbuckles
Dear Buck,
Your recent article
on
turnbuckles
struck
another
nerve,
and
I just have
to relate
my
turnbuckle experience to
you;
nothing
like
yours-thank
God
When
I first
went
to
work in
the
maintenance shop at
AIRGO
in June
1944-a
couple
of
years
back-I had
presented myself to
the maintenance
chief,
Mr.
Ralph
Bleke, as
having
no
experience
but
a
strong
desire to
learn. Evidently he liked
that
because
he
hired me
The first
job
I
was assigned to
was helping
to
re-cover
the
wings
of
a
Stinson SR-9F, which
took several
weeks.
When that
was completed we
busied ourselves
with
other less de
manding jobs for a few days
before
tackling
another
big one.
Walter Trask was chief pilot for
the
MacMillan Feed Co at Decatur, Indi
ana,
and they
operated a Stinson
SR
8. This plane had a 260-hp Lycoming,
and
it was well maintained .
The plane was scheduled for a trip
to Florida the following day,
and
Walt
done
this before
With all
the
confidence
of
a 17
year-old
who
thought
he was
in
heaven,
I
approached the
task
with
great
gusto;
after
all,
i t couldn't
be
too tough or
I
wouldn't have
been
given
the
task.
After several
turns
I checked the
alignment again;
all
did
not seem
to
be as I
thought
it
should be.
You
may be familiar with this type
of
installation
. The split
line
was on
the
bottom of
the cowling. There
were
two brackets with turnbuck
les
that
pulled
the
cowling together.
One end was permanently attached
so that it could swing
down when the
turnbuckle was loosened. There were
aligning
pins to
keep the
cowling
to
be as I
thought i t should
be.
The
aligning pins
were
gradually
begin
ning to work into their assigned
holes,
but
the
horn-shaped tubes at
the
front of
the
cowling were
not
lin
ing up
the
way I
thought they
would,
or
should. I reasoned
that
if I contin
ued tightening the
turnbuckles
, the
cowling
would eventually snap
into
alignment. I guess
my
biggest mistake
was assuming
too
much.
Henceforth
I
continued tightening,
checking ev
ery few turns to see if
things were
going
as I
assumed
they would.
The
last time I checked it appeared
that
I
might
be right, since there was some
indication that
things were
begin
ning
to move.
Thinking to
myself that just a few
more turns should do
the
trick, I pro
ceeded to tighten. Suddenly there was
a horrible sound It was a ripping, tear
ing, crunching noise I shall never for
get
What
was
that
I began
to
search
for
the
source with considerable trepi
dation;
then
my eyes fell upon the
fixed bracket that held it to
the
cowl
me
fix
this tonight; the plane
is
leav
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37/44
Aug. 12-1 3 Arlington, WA
• Fabric Covering • Sheet Metal Basics
• Electrical Systems & Avionics
• Introduction to Aircraft Building
Aug. 19-20
Indianapolis, IN
• Fabric Covering • Sheet Metal Basics
• Electrical Systems &Avionics
•
Cas
• Com Construction
Sept. 8-10
Griffin,GA
ing for Florida early in the morning."
Right after
that
I
went home
for
the
day,
wondering what the atmo
sphere would
be
tomorrow. Noth
ing
more
was said,
and
I
continued
with
AIRGO