vintage airplane - mar 1984

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Mar 1984

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PUBLISHERPaulH. Poberezny

MARCH1984 Vol.12,No.3

PUBLICATIONSTAFF

EDITORGeneR ChaseMANAGINGEDITORMaryJones

EDITORIALASSISTANTNormanPetersenFEATUREWRITERGeorgeA.Hardie,Jr.

EAAANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION,INC.OFFICERSVicePresidentR. J. Lickteig1620BayOaksDriveAlbertLea,MN 56007507/373 2351

Secretary TreasurerRonaldFritz E.E."Buck" Hilbert15401 SpartaAvenue P.O.Box145KentCity,MI 49330 Un ion, IL 60180616/678 5012 815/9234591

DIRECTORSClaudeL. Gray,Jr. DaleA.Gustafson 9635SylviaAvenue 7724ShadyHillDriveNorthridge,CA91324 Ihdianapo lis,IN 46274

213/349 1338 317/293 4430

RobertG:Herman Arthur R. MorganW164N9530WaterStreet 3744North51stBlvd .Menomonee Fa lls,WI 53051 Milwaukee,WI53216

414/251 9253 414/4423631

MortonW.Lester AI KelchP.O.Box3747 66W.622N. Madison Ave.Martinsv ille,VA 24112 Cedarburg,WI 53012703/632 4839 414/377 5886

GeneMorris John R. Turgyan24 ChandelleDrive Box229,R.F.D.2Hampshire ,IL60140 Wrightstown,NJ 0856231 683-3199 609 7582910S.J.Wittman GeorgeS.YorkBox2672 181 SlobodaAve.Oshkosh,WI54901 Mansfield,OH44906414/235 1265 419/529-4378

ADVISORS

Contents3 StraightandLevelbyGeneChase4 A/CNewsbyGeneChase5 MysteryPlanebyGeorgeHardie,Jr.5 EAAAir Academy6 World's FirstAirlinebyGeorgeHardie1 MysteryShipbyEd Phillips15 AGlimpseatthePast15 Lettersto the Editor16 NorthDakotaJennybyRoyRedman2 Calendarof Events

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FRONTCOVER ThereplicaBenoistFly;ngBoatwhichre-createdtheoriginalflightoftheworld 'sfirstairliner.See storypage6. (PhotobyBillBuston)BACKCOVER ... The1984version of theBenoistFlyingBoattaxiesin afteraflight on TampaBay.(PhotobyBillBuston)


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STR IGHT ND LEVEL~

The last five years have seen great progress in theAntique/Classic Division under the leadership of BradThomas and his Board of Directors. As we go to press withthis issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE we learned ofhis request to step down from this position. Brad servedadmirably as President and his resignation is acceptedwith regret.Due to personal activities and the press of his businessas a hosiery manufacturer in his hometown of Pilot Mountain , North Carolina, Brad chose to retire at this time

rather than during the hectic weeks preceding the Oshkosh convention.For several years before his appointment to the topoffice, Brad was actively supportive of the Division, serv

ing as Chief Classic Judge at Oshkosh, advisor, memberof the Board of Directors, and Division Secretary. Following other good leaders, he built upon their efforts andfurthered the growth and stability of the organization .

Brad was tireless in his support of key programs sponsored by the Division, including flight safety, aviationeducation, the restoration, maintenance and preservationof antique and classic aircraft , and the promotion of sportaviation fly-ins from the local level up through Oshkosh.Brad saw the wisdom of, and he continued to supporta standard judging system formulated by a committee ofextremely knowledgeable restorers of vintage aircraft.The resulting rules and guidelines were published in amanual and the system has been in use at Oshkosh andother fly-ins for several years. This manual , entitled,"Rules, Objectives and Standards for Aircraft Judging isavailable at EAA Headquarters and has experienced widespread use throughout the country.

Another of Brad's convictions was that qualified restorers of antique and classic aircraft should be able to performmaintenance work including annual inspections on theiraircraft. He was actively pursuing this goal when he resigned and EAA will continue to seek the Amendment toFAR 43 which would allow this.

No one was more proud of the Antique/Classic Division's contribution to EAA's annual convention at Osh-

By Gene Chase

kosh than Brad Thomas. His leadership and organizational abilities were always evident and although he won'tbe serving in the same capacity, the results of his effortswill continue to be visible , thanks to the cadre of outstanding volunteers .On behalf of all Division members, we say Thank you,Brad, for a job well done." He will continue to be activeand supportive of EAA , the Antique/Classic Division andall sport aviation activities, offering counsel and assistance as needed. And we hope he will have more time tospend in the restoration of his 1937 Beech D17R Stagger-wing. *By action of the Antique/Classic Board of Directors attheir meeting on January 27, 1984, advisors John Copeland and Stan Gomoll were named Directors. Both menhave been attending board meetings at EAA Headquarters for many years, lending their expertise in the management of the Division as well as Division activities atOshkosh.Director Roy Redman continues to promote Type Clubinvolvement at EAA activities with a personal writingcampaign, while Director Espie "Butch" Joyce is managing the provision of free space for these groups in theAntique/ Classic Hospitality Tent near the Red Barn atOshkosh. The response has been graitfying and we lookfor increased activities in this area at Oshkosh '84 .*

The Antique/Classic Division's support of the EAA AirAcademy is already bearing fruit in the form of highlyqualified, interested and enthusiastic young applicants.The Division's commitment to support this program is acommitment to its future.With member's continued support we can develop awhole new generation of airport kids This support can befinancial, the recruitment of applicants and/or participating as instructors in the Air Academy program.

For further details see the item in the NC News sectionof this issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE

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~ wU Compiled y Gene ChaseEAGLE PROPELLERS(Formerly Fahlin)

Jerry Johnson and company are continuing OleFahlin's tradition of fine old world craftmanship in themanufacture of 87 type-certificated propellers, plus 60custom models, contemporary, antiques, classics, ancientsand even the rare ones. Jerry offers a free engineering/design service for customers. They welcome visitors at theirnew facility at scenic Saratoga, Wyoming (40 miles southeast of Rawlins. For more information contact EaglePropellers, Box 71, Saratoga, WY 82331, 307-326-8020.

BOGUS AUTO FUEL STCst has been brought to our attention that counterfeitSTCs covering the use of auto fuel in certain aircraft are

available in some areas. Purchasers are warned that theonly valid and legal STCs for this purpose are availablefrom EAA or Mr. Charles Petersen of Minden , Nebraska.EAA intends to fully prosecute se llers of counterfeit STCs.The FAA is also concerned about the illegal altering ofgovernment documents.

ANOTHER STINSON L-1AVAILABLEEAA member Stan Doyle, 1278 Barron Road, Howell,MI 48843 , tel. 313/358-2700 (office) has information on aStinson L-l which crashed in 1941 in Alaska. The planeis complete, but would be an extensive re-build. Thanksto the deep freeze , it is virtually rust-free. As the story

goes, the plane was being ferried to Russia and althoughmost of the fabric is gone, evidence of the red stars is stillvisible. The selling price is in the five to six thousanddollar (Canadian) range.

CESSNA 170 CLUBMEMBERSHIP DRIVEAn article in the January 1984 issue of Fly Paper ,the monthly newsletter of the International Cessna 170

Association, reports that their membership drive is quitesuccessful with four to five new members signing up daily .At that time the total membership stood at 972. The drivewas conducted with a blanket mailing of the Conventionissue of The 170 News , a quarterly publication of the170 association, to all owners of Cessna 170s registeredwith the FAA. Executive Secetary of the Association andFly Paper editor is Velvet Fackeldey, Route 2, Box 274 ,Hartville, MO 65667. Telephone 417-741-6557.

EAA S -THE FREEDOM OF FLIGHTThe themes of both the 1984 EAA International Con

vention and the EAA Ultralight Convention is The Freedom of Flight . Advertising and public relations peoplehave long recognized the effectiveness of buzz words andthemes in selling products and services. Unfortunately,these Madison Avenue cliches are often more sizzle thansteak . They would have you believe that you would bemore successful, increase your income, be better loved andadmired if only you purchase their products.When we began to think of a theme for this year's twogreat gatherings, one that epitomizes the true spirit andphilosophies of EAA, one word came into sharp, distinctfocus . . . FREEDOM. Freedom to fly . Freedom to expressourselves. Freedom to create and to share knowledgeeven to dissent. Freedom to elevate ourselves and moveacross this great country without fear of borders or restrictions, and freedom to honor heros of the past that madepossible the wonderful reality of flight.Flight for centuries has been the manifestation of freedom. Once man and his plane rose above the ground tosoar where only eagles dared, man was free to rediscovernature . Contrary to the ground-bound philosopher's complaint that the technology of flight isolates man, theairplane allowed an intimacy with nature which has neverbefore been touched so deeply.

Over 30 years ago our founder, Paul Poberezny, recognizing the vital , almost synonymous relationship of freedom and flight , created the Experimental Aircraft Association to win and preserve freedom for sport aviationand the homebuilding movement. Much has been accomplished by EAA's organized, coopera tive effort. We areable to create, construct and fly in an atmosphere of freedom unparalleled in most other parts of the world. Butmuch remains to be done. We must always be vigilant, for


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MYSTERY PLANEBy George Hardie Jr.

From the earliest days of aviation,airplane designers have tried the fullspectrum of ideas as they sought theideal flying machine. Wing configurations especially have intrigued many.There have been circular wings, halfcircles, diamond shapes, high and lowaspect ratios, deltas, etc. The airplanefeatured as this month's MysteryPlane in the photo from Roy Cagle,Juneau Alaska was perhaps the firstwith a swept-forward reverse deltashape as a tailless flying wing. Thedesigner was ahead of his time, for inWorld War II the German Junkers J u287 jet bomber had forward sweptwings, as did the proposed Blohm and Additional information on the Sep XB-AFV. It later rotted to pieces atVoss P-209. And today's Grumman tember Mystery Plane was sent in by Torreon, Mexico. At one time thereX-29 fighter also features the forward Ted Businger, Willow Springs, MO, was a proposed round-the-world flightswept concept. Answers to this who writes: planned by Roger Q. Williams, Tedmonth's Mystery Plane will be pub The airplane is an Emsco B-3, reg Lundgrenn and William Marsalis.lished in the June 1984 issue of VIN- istration number NR-153 and was the This never got past the planningTAGE. twelfth plane manufactured by that stage. Cecil Allen was killed at theThe Mystery Plane in the December company. It was purchased by lumber start of the 1935 Bendix race and Don1983 issue was the first Rowinski tycoon John Buffelen on July 11, Moyle just seems to have faded intoracer built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1930. As shown in that photo, it was obscurity. in 1932. The designer was Nick Row used by Harold Bromley and Haroldinski, an inspector with the Bureau of Gatty in an attempted Trans-PacificAir Commerce. It was built at the flight, but bad weather forced them toMilwaukee Parts Co . and was pow return to Japan.ered with an air-cooled Tank V-8, an In 1931 the plane was re-namedOX-5 conversion offered by that com Pacific and the pilot was ex-Armypany. The airplane was test flown on Lt. Tom Ash. A severe ground loopFebruary 6 1932; the test pilot was caused Ash to retire from the ventureCarl Martin. Evidently the perfor in early 1931. In late 1931 the shipmance was not satisfactory, for the was refurbished and renamed Clasairplane appeared at the Omaha races sina Madge in honor of the owner'sin May 1932 bearing the race number daughter. Its new crew was Cecil36 and powered with a Continental Allen and Don Moyle. They took offradial engine, as shown in a photo from Subushiro Beach in Japan onfrom Truman Pappy Weaver, September 8 and made a leisurelyCurator of the Wedell-Williams five-stop crossing of the Pacific in 28Memorial Museum. No further infor days. Clyde Pangborn and Hughmation has been located. Answers Herndon had just completed theirwere received from Russ Brown, non-stop fligh t in their BellancaLyndhurst, OH and Truman Weaver, Miss Veedol . Moyle bought the ship,Patterson, LA. took it to Mexico and registered it as


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F I R ~ G J J rDfIRLINJIJy George Hardie Jr.

In 1935 when commercial airlines in this country werecoming of age , C. Bedell Monro, President of Pennsylvania Airlines, decided to try to find out where the firstairline was established and who was the first paying airline passenger. A story was published and the responsewas overwhelming. All claims were referred to EugeneVidal, Director of the Bureau of Air Commerce in Washington, D.C. Vidal decided that the winning claim shouldbe that of the first airline to operate on a regular schedulebetween two specific points for any length of time . On thebasis of the definition Vidal selected the St. Petersburg-Tampa Air Boat Line which began operating between thetwo cities on January 1, 1914 and over the next threemonths made twice daily round trips carrying fare payingpassengers . The St. Petersburg Times on January 2, 1914had prophesied:Airlines in the very near future will be used generallyfor transit purposes and the line from this city across thebay is only the pioneer of them all.Historians have today declared the St. Petersburg-Tampa Air Boat Line as the world's first scheduled commercial airline .

t all began when P. E. Fansler, a Buffalo, NY salesman who raced speedboats in Florida, read about a flightdown the Mississippi River in a flying boat made by Tony

Jannus departed on schedule and to the amazement ofmany skeptics, returned on time from Tampa. The afternoon flights were also completed without incident, thensome special sightseeing flights at $10 and $20 each weremade.Near the close ofoperations of the airline three monthslater, pilot Tony Jannus wrote in Aero and Hydromagazine:

We have been in St. Petersburg flying since December31, and are planning to leave the last week in April forthe North . In this entire time there were only about 18days when our chief pilot deemed it inexpedient to fly andof these days the reason usually was that the raw, coldwinds discouraged passengers and not that flying wasimpossible because of the storms .

In the entire season of three months the Airboat Linewas laid up only four days because of mechanical troubles .As the operation called for 84 miles a day and as therewere numerous other flights each day for the few machinesemployed, the total mileage for the two machines ran upto 11,000 miles and both machines now stand overhauledand in good shape for the season's exhibition and passenger carrying work. All told some 1,205 passengers werecarried, some two at a time, and the amount of powerfuladvertising resulting from the diversity of places these


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(Photo by Gene Chase) (Photo by Gene Chase)The small lever on the left is the throttle control while the large Note the translucent fabric on the forward hull. The rudder barlever in the center is the rudder control. The control stick, was installed temporarily for the commemorative flight aspartially visible on the right in the full-forward position, actuated pilot Ed Hoffman said, "I don't know how to fly by controllingthe elevator and ailerons. the rudder with my hand "

(Photo by Gene Chase)The 261 cu. in. 6 cylinder Chevrolet en This photo taken inside the tent where the Benoist was on display at Sun 'n Fun S3gine mounted in a mockup where theengine was run for several hours includ shows the temporary fin installed to improve directional stability of the replica. Asing many starts and stops. Due to the pilot Ed Hoffman said, It made a good surface for displaying the craft's name andFAA registration number . Note water rudder at bottom of rudder.high compression it was necessary toinstall a Ford Model T type of retard .

tual expenses in construction of the replica came to about


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Florida Aviation Historical Society . Plans are underwayto construct a suitable display hangar to house the aircraftand related memorabilia. Meanwhile, a book The World'sFirst Airline has been published and is available for$4.00 post paid from Elizabeth Sheehan 9700 KoegerBlvd., Suite 207, St . Petersburg, FL 33702

Hank Palmer cranks the engine for first run in the newly complete hull.

Ed Hoffman (EAA 2572) working on the hull interior.

View of prop shaft thrust l)earing , upperprop sprocket, heavy duty 80H A S Adrive chain and chain guard tubes.

First assembly of the ' 6 wings to thehull.


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St. Petersbure-TampaAIRBOAT LINEFast Passenger nd Express Service

Special Flight TripsCHEDULE:Can be arranged through any of

Arrive Tampa W:30A.M .Lv . SI. Petersburg 10:OOA .M.

our agents or by communicatingdirectly with the SI. PetersburgLeave Tampa II :OOA.M. Hangar. Trips covering any dis Ar. SI. Petcrsbu rg 11:3 0A .M. tance over allwater routes and

Lv . SI. Petersburg 2:00P.M. from the waters' surface to serArrive Tampa 2:30P.M. eral thousand feet high AT PAS-

SENGERS REQUEST.Leave Tampa 3:00P.M . A minimum charge of SI5 perAr . SI. Petersburg 3:30 P.M . Special Flighl.

Rates: 5.00 Per Trip. Round Trip 10. Booking for Passage in Advance.NOTE Passengers are allowed a weight of 200 pounds GROSS including hand baggage, excesscharged at 5.00 per 100 pounds. minimum charge 25 cents. EXPRESS RATES, for packages.suit cases. mail mailer . etc .. 5 .00 per hundred pounds. minimum charge 25 cents. Expresscarried from hangar to hangar onl y. delivery and receipt by shipper.


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Part 1 of 2 Parts)Travel ir 's Model "R" possessed beauty, speed and

aeronautical design that paved the way for a new era inAmerican aviation. The legend of the "Mystery Ship" livestoday . a legend started by one man 's desire to build awinning racer.By Ed Phillips(EAA 124038, le 7505)1125 So. 160 E.Wichita , KS 67230

Herb Rawdon sat patiently as Walter Beech paced thefloor, pipe in hand. The president of Travel Air wasn t toohappy about the past racing season's success.Walter Beech was always out to win. But Travel Airhadn't won much in 1928. There were victories, but therewere defeats , too defea ts handed down by the militaryand competitors' airplanes. Defeats that Beech didn't like.Both men knew that the hottest thing at Travel Airwas a J-5 Model 4000 with Speed Wings . Good, but notgood enough. The subject turned to company affairs andthe 1928 racing season faded away.Perhaps Walter Beech let it fade away, but Herb Rawdon didn't . Within his engineering , innovative mind anidea was forming . . . a concept for victory on the racecircuit in 1929. Rawdon remembered Beech's lament.There was a solution, an avenue to success, that TravelAir could pursue. Rawdon believed an airplane could bedesigned, built and flown that would defeat the crop of

Burnham listened to Herb s idea to build a racer. twas certainly a challenge both men wanted to tackle, butthey agreed to keep the project quiet and work on it athome. From that evening forward for the coming year,both the Burnham and Rawdon families saw much less oftheir husbands and fathers.A pattern of design was emerging from Rawdon's J?1ind.He had always admired the sleek, powerful float-eqUIppedSchneider racers, particularly Reginald Mitchell's Supermarine designs. The Schneider ships set the pace forothers to follow in speed and sheer power.But it was aeronautical design th at Rawdon believedcould turn' the tide in Travel Air's favor . A carefullyplanned and executed airframe, utilizing minimum frontal area and possessing low drag and light weight could,when mated to an engine of sufficient horsepower, provideexcellent performance.Monoplane configuration was essential, as was fixedlanding gear and room for only the pilot. Wire br acingwould provide necessary rigidity and further reduce overall weight, yet the drag penalty would be miniJ?al. ~in-line engine was most desirable, but those avaIlable m1928 didn't produce the 300-400 hp Rawdon believednecessary for his design. The large, heavy liquid-cooledengines of the era were powerful; too powerful for Rawdon's requirements, and were designed for military use .The in-line engine would give low drag and it wouldbe easier to mate with the airframe than a radial engine.Radials were available in the desired power range , buttheir weight and penalty of drag dampened Rawdon'senthusiasm for them .


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(Courtesy Beech Aircraft Corp.)Herb Rawdon - chief engineer at Travel ir in 1929, conce ivedthe idea of a fast, low-wing monoplane racer patterned after theSchneider machines of the late 1920s. His R-100 design wouldprove that brute horsepower was not the only answer to highperformance airplanes. Rawdon also designed the Model 1cabin monoplane and assisted with many aeronautical projectswhile with Travel Air.

During the winter and early spring of 1929, the "R"continued through detail design and stress analysis . Thiswas a very time consuming and laborious effort for bothmen.Much midnight oil was burned completing this essential task. But the designers knew their ship was sound,from spinner to rudder, and they expected great thingsfrom the "R".

But there was a problem. Calculations indicated thatto achieve a top speed in the 200 mph-plus range, 400 hpwas required. A glimmer of hope arose when, in May of1929 Walter Beech called Rawdon into his office. An inline engine capable of275-300 hp was soon to be marketed,and Beech wanted to know Herb Rawdon's thoughts onutilizing the engine on a Travel Air racer.

power, but it also had frontal area and therefore higherdrag and weight.The 1750 pound gross weight figure used by Rawdonproved a fortuitous decision, and Walter Beech decided it

was time for a little inter-combine cooperation betweenTravel Air and its parent organization, Wright Aeronautical. Beech phoned Guy Vaughan, Vice President ofWright, and inquired about availability of the R-975 foruse in a special racing ship.

Vaughan was reluctant to even discuss the matter, butBeech did succeed in getting Vaughan to check it out withhigher management. Beech was soon informed the TravelAir could have an engine, and one that developed 425 hpto boot

The radial was undergoing tests with a higher supercharger ratio, and Rawdon was dispatched to Wright's factory to work with Wright engineers and learn all he couldabout the new engine destined for his racer.When Rawdon returned to Travel Air, Beech wanted afull report on the engine. Herb explained that it was allthe power he needed, but the powerplant would have tobe housed under a NACA cowl, necessitating a change inthe forward fuselage dimensions to blend the wide radial'sbulk smoothly into the airframe.Walter Beech gave the go-ahead for the airplane'sconstruction. His enthusiasm was higher than ever now.In his eyes he saw a giant-killer, a vehicle of speed andsuperior performance that would once again propel theTravel Air name to the forefront of aviation .By early June, 1929, 25 hand-picked workers from thefactory began construction of the "R" in a carefullyguarded section of Factory C. All of the workers wereinformed about the project and instructed to remain silentto everyone, including their fellow factory workers.

They succeeded completely, as evidenced by the August, 19292 issue of the Currents , Travel Air's houseorgan, quoted here in full : Funny business is going onaround the engineering and experimental departments.Mysterious packages and boxes are being delivered at oddhours. Groups of engineers and workmen can be seenhuddled here and there holding skull practice", immediately dispersing upon the approach of an outsider .We have put the question fairly and squarely up to HerbRawdon - asked him what was going on so we might passthe "low down" on to you. And from him we got no answerexcept that perhaps in the next issue of Currents hewould give us a peep. Have any idea what it is? Well, soo we - but we're not telling" .

Such was the beginning of secrecy surrounding theR-100 project. Not only were the factory personnel anxiousto get a "peep" at Travel Air's secret, so was the Wichitapress. Both the Eagle and Beacon newspapers sent correspondents out to the East Central factory to get the "lowdown".

But they were frustrated from the start. Walter Beech


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(Courtesy Beech Aircraft Corp.)Front view of R exhibits clean frontal area, faired landing gear and wire bracing for wings. Note pitot tube on right wing aposition onl y the first airplane had. Other four ships had tube on left wing.


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(Courtesy Beech Aircraft Corp.)Rear view displays beautiful fuselage form, clearly showing the carefully executed mating of Wright radial to the R fuselage. Oilcooler is on left wing , under cabane struts. Ted Cochran spent many hours forming the thin plywood covering for the fuselage.Difficulty o curves required is evident.

Pitts with him on sheet metal parts Howard Baccus andhis crew laid out the fuselage tubing on the floor usingdimension lines from Rawdon an d BurnhamThe tubing was then welded without diagonal bracingtubes, and the tack-welded fuselage st ructure was set upon saw horses for final welding. Remaining diagonal bracetubes were added across the top and bottom of the fuselage.Longerons were sighted for alignment with a straight


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(Courtesy Beech Aircraft Corp.)Clarence Clark runs up the second R , R613K. Fitted with thefirst Chevrolair 06, six-cylinder inline, air-cooled engine of 250hp, performance was disappointing. Top speed was about 150mph and the 06 gave constant trouble, such as oil pressurefluctuations, erratic throttle response and severe overheatingof the oil. After the Cleveland races, the ship was transportedby rail to Wichita, a Wright J6-7 installed and the airplane soldto Florence Pancho Barnes in May, 1930. Paul Mantz laterowned it, then Barnes bought it back. It rests today in California,undergoing slow restoration by the Barnes family. Mrs. Barnes'son, William, was killed in 1980 and the airplane is being restored under the guidance of Phil Schultz.

Wheels and tires were suspended between the weldedtube formations of each gear and were free to move verti-cally. No brakes were fitted to the Bendix 24 x 4 inchwheels.A tail skid using a small oleo shock strut was stream-lined and faired neatly into the aft fuselage. Bracing wiresfor the main gear were streamlined and the gear becameanchor points for the wing landinglflying wires. The fuselage was covered with j16 inch plywood and taped betweensections to yield a very smooth surface . This job was tack-led by Ted Cochran.The compound curves found in the R-100 fuselage presented a challenge to any woodworker. Cochran used alarge pan filled with hot water to soak the thin plywood,making it flexible . Each piece was then strapped down onthe fuselage with shock cord and clamps. t was glued and

set at 2.25 degrees and dihedral at 4 degrees. As a finishing touch Ted Cochran built the wingtip bows of lamina-tions which were carefully hand sanded and featheredtoward the tip. Ailerons were of Frieze design, actuatedby a differential control system giving more travel to theup movement. Push/pUll tubes ran from the cockpit to theailerons. Elevator and rudder were actuated by standardcontrol cables. A special, integral fairing was added thatfaired with the fuselage and turned with the rudder.

Carl Burnham's4 crew made up two fuel tanks, one 42gallon main tank and a five gallon reserve tank. The maintank was positioned on the airplane's center of gravity atthe 24% mean aerodynamic chord point. This was donebecause the fuel load was the only variable factor ofweight. The reserve tank was directly behind the mainunit, but its fuel had to be hand pumped into the maintank. Both tanks were built of .040 inch aluminum, as wasthe firewall.Carl also used .040 inch aluminum for the landinggear fairings. These were hand formed units and gave theR a sleek, fast appearance. Each fairing was meticulously formed with its many contours until it fit correctly.The two halves were fitted together and welded along thecenter seam. Access was provided for tire inflation.

By later July the first test assembly was conducted andeverything fit was designed. Only the job of fabricatingthe large NACA cowl remained. Dimensions were takenfrom the forward fuselage and forms made up. A Pettengillpower hammer was used to work out the two halves. (To be continued)

1. The papers of Herb Rawdon and Walter Burnham. Wichita State University. The R-loodesignation also appears as RA I00 on occasion in these papers. Later referencesrefer to all five airplanes with the R-2oo1 , 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 designations,used by Curtiss-Wright. The R-loo and RA - loo deSignations appear to be personalones of Rawdon and Burnham.2. August, 1929 issue of the Travel Air Currents". Little was known about the OR project.and security was tight.3. Interview with Ted Cochran, 1981 .4. Interview with Carl Burnham, 1981 .


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Editor's Note: The following observation concerning thefuture of jet-powered aircraft is most interesting, especially considering its source . the July 1923 issue ofAERIAL AGE, page 317.AIRPLANE SKY-ROCKET NOT SO GOOD

At the highest flying speeds yet attained, jet propulsionrequires about five times as much fuel as ordinary screwpropulsion. The relative fuel consumption and weight ofmachinery for the jet, however, decrease as the flyingspeed increases, but at 250 miles an hour the jet wouldstill take about four times as much fuel per thrust horsepower-hour as the air screw, and the power plant wouldbe heavier and much more complicated.

If Lee Burridge were alive today he would be muchinterested in these conclusions developed by the Bureauof Standards. The turning of an airplane into an animatedrocket was a pet idea with Burridge.Now, at the request of McCook Field, which is interested in jet propulsion and helicopters and other ideasaimed at the home designing of machines which can outdistance the world and generally at the putting of Americafirst in the air, the Bureau considered the plan ofissuingfrom a nozzle a continuous stream of combustion products,making of the airplane, in fact, a pseudo winged rocket.The air needed for the jet was to be taken in by a powerdriven compressor and delivered at increased pressure toa receiver acting as a combustion chamber. The liquid fuelwas to be sprayed into the combustion chamber andburned there continuously at constant pressure, so as toincrease the temperature and volume of the gaseous mixture. The resulting combustion products, consistingmainly of nitrogen, steam and carbon dioxide were thento expand freely through a suitable nozzle from the receiver pressure to the outside atmospheric pressure atwhich the air was taken in by the compressor.For the present we shall consider only a simple nozzlesuch as used in steam turbines, and we shall not discuss

in detail the possibility of improving the propulsive efficiency of the jet by any of the 'aspirator' or 'ejector' deviceswhich have been proposed for increasing the momentumand thrust. If such devices are found to be effective, theprospect for jet propulsion will be correspondingly improved, but we wish first to inquire what might be donewithout them and from what point improvements muststart .

The power needed to compress the air for the jet wasfound to be greater than that required for the same thrustpower from an air screw of 70 per cent efficiency, until theflying speed is about 250 mph.However, it is considered the engine might be runfaster than is now customary and thus reduce the weightper b.h.p. over that of the air-screw engine. But the aircylinders would add weight again and it is estimated that,at best, the combined engine-compressor unit would be atleast 50 per cent heavier than an ordinary aeronauticengine of the same power. This observation does not include the weight of combustion chamber, nozzle and fuelinjection system, which, it is estimated, would more thanoffset the weight of the screw propeller.The large, awkward and fragile propeller would beeliminated, and only the nozzle and not the engine wouldhave to be located with regard to the axis of thrust. Thusthe design would be more flexible. The machine might . . .be given brilliant maneuvering powers by utilizing thepowerful steering effect of swinging the nozzle.Yet, there still seems to be another drawback. Amachine which had to start - ifit could get off the groundat all - by emitting a jet of flame at 2500 degrees F. andat a speed of one mile a second would hardly be a welcomevisitor at flying fields .

Last, but not least, Mr. Edgar Buckingham, of theBureau of Standards, author of the report which is beingpublished by the N.A.C.A., says there does not appear tobe, at present, any prospect whatever that jet propulsionof the sort here considered will ever be of practical value,even for military purposes.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORDear Gene,While visiting the new EAA Aviation Center at Oshkosh '83, I saw the framework of an old aircraft in a corner

to Joe's request, we received another request for an articleon this rare aircraft from Richard L Gates, SheboyganFalls, Wisconsin . Richard also sent three photos, one ofwhich is shown here. We will prepare an article on theAerobat for a forthcoming issue of VINTAGE . G R.C MERCURY 8T 1 20 Ae robat


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They had arrived , somewhat indirectiy, from Linton,North Dakota, where three weeks earlier they had paiddealer Frank Irvine $300 for the hybrid-winged Jennyand begun barnstorming. Perhaps Nnvember isn't thebest time to start such a venture, especially in NorthKorth

Dakota.JennyBy Roy Redman(EAA 83604, le 6600)R. 3, Box 208Faribault, MN 55021

Photos courtesy of Olof Anderson) t o r N o t e This is the second installment ofauthor RoyRedman:s true story about his friend Olof "Ole" nder-son's e rly flying experiences. Ole's partner in the Jennywas his close friend from their days in Sweden, xel "Ruff"Swanson. Ole is a retired Northwest Airl ines captain liv-ing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Roy is currently a Boeing727 captain flying for Northwest Airlines out of Min-neapolis.The tire is $3.50 the man said, and there was noargument from the two young Swedes. They spent the restof the afternoon mounting it and performing other routinemaintenance on the Jenny . With this work completedthey quit for the day and left the field to enjoy the bigcity of Minneapolis and visit with friends. The date wasNovember 23 - the year, 1925.

Dakota, but for two young men in their early twenties thecalendar and the cold was of no concern. They uwned anairplane, and the world awaited their arrival on linenwings.The world that day started 16 miles north at Hazelton.Axel, affectionately known as Ruff - short for Rudolf, hismiddle name - took off and landed, and Ole got 20 minutes of stick time en route. But there weren't many paying passengers in Hazelton, so they pressed on. By sundown Ole had logged stops at Moffitt, Driscoll and Robinson .A succession of central North Dakota towns weregraced by Ole and Ruff for the next three weeks - Pingree , Bowdon, Cathay, a total oftwenty all told. Most wereso small that even today they don't appear on a road map.Business wasn t brisk, but at $3 per ride there was enoughfor some reasonable wallet lining. Occasionally they hadto spend 1 or maybe $1.50 for an overnight room, butusually some admiring passenger would offer supper andlodging for the night. So even though the passenger countwas sparse, and some stops resulted in only one or twohops, expenses were light and the profit began to grow.Their venture was a success - so far.

The fields were all strange, and usually small, so Ruffdid most of the takeoffs and landings with Ole flying in


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Ole flew for about 15 minutes When he returned, helanded short enough to roll up to where Ruff stood. "Howwas that?" he asked."Take it around again before it gets dark " Ruffshouted, and Ole advanced the throttle this time with nohelp, a nd completed another takeoff and landing.They tied the Jenny down, in a different place, andtreated themselves that evening to dinner and a movie.Ole entered the day's flights in his log, and after thenotation for pilot, he wrote "Myself'. This was enough foran indelible memory, to be sure, but Ole would rememberNovember 24, 1925 for another reason - that was the dayhe bought the same tire twice.The Moiniken, and the Chicago Expert

They started the takeoff roll, and after about 10 yardsthe prop shaft broke loose and the prop swirled ahead ofthe airplane, coming to rest several hundred feet in frontof the now stationary Moiniken. Ruff and Ole's trip toChicago was aborted almost before it began. The previousfall , just after Ole's solo, the two young aviators hadpointed their Jenny westward toward South Dakota anda reunion with Ole Fahlin. The headwinds were strong,

Vic Lundberg cranks Stinson Oetroiter at h icago's MaywoodField. The plane was being flown by Speed Holman who wasenroute to St. Paul , MN with Northwest Airways fi rst Oetroiter.

and after an hour and fifteen minutes they were only asfar as Hutchinson, about 60 miles west. The weatherbegan to sour so they doubled back to the northeast andlanded at Cokato, where they had an acquaintance whoput them up for the night. The following day the weatherwas worse. Snow began to fall, then accumulate. Winterhad arrived and the barnstorming season was over. Theyarranged storage for the Jenny in a lumber yard, removedthe wings, and put it away.In the following years, the fledgling flyers would earnenough during the summer to spend a leisurely winter ,but this was not the case in 1925. Tires and the Minneapolis trip had nearly depleted their small profit, sothey retired to other employment.Ole returned to Chicago and worked at making ladderparts again. t wasn 't long, however, until his pocketbookand the weather were in agreement once again. He metRuff in Cokato late in February of 1926. They assembledtheir Jenny took off from frozen Cokato Lake, and headedwest. The following day, after several stops and a fewpassengers, they arrived in Ferney South Dakota.Ole Fahlin had found a home, so to speak, in Ferney.He had a good friend there Chet Wage, who farmed andwas also the local banker. Chet was interested in aviation

Ruff and Ole's Jenny with flat tire at Grace City , NO in 1925.Ruff soloed Ole in this plane after the tire was replaced.


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Ole and Ruff with the Moiniken at Ferney, S in 1926. Note the extra radiator which was necessary to cool theSturtevant engine.

Ole Fahlin s shop in Aberdeen, S in 1928.and was an aspiring aviator, which helped in matters offinance. Ole Fahlin bought and sold airplanes, did somerepair work, and also barnstormed. Considering all this,and the host of lovely young ladies in the area, all wasright with Ole Fahlin .Ole and Ruff spent several days with Ole Fahlin inFerney, then headed northward in their Jenny. Theweather was fine and the passengers were plentiful. Theyhad about six weeks of good flying, but their Jenny wasgetting tired. The punishment of the rough fields was nowbreaking fuselage wires almost daily . They finally re

vehicle . The decision was made to sell, and Chicago wasto be the market.It s said that God looks after aviators, and it must beso. This time the heavenly intervention had arranged thebroken prop shaft on the Moiniken, and Ole Anderson wasstill in Ferney and not in Chicago. Ole Fahlin was sellinga Canuck to Vern Davidson, a young farmer from nearbyClaremont. Fahlin made the sale, and then convincedVern that he didn t yet have enough experience to fly theCanuck. This was no problem, Fahlin said, because therewas an expert aviator from Chicago on hand .

Vern Chicago pilot and set


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CALENDAR OF EVENTSWe would like to list your aviation event in our calendar. Please sendinformation to the Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE P.O. Box 2591, Oshkosh WI 54903. Information must be received at least two months inadvance of the issue in which it will appear.

MARCH 11-17 - LAKELAND, FLORIDA - Sun 'n Fun Fly-In. Join us for the10th Anniversary of EAA's Spring Celebration of Flight. Contact Fly-InOffice at 813/644-2431 or 813/665-6374 813/644-9319 813/665-7955.APRIL 14-15 - WASHINGTON; DC - 3rdAnnuai Tour of National Air &Space Museum and Paul E. Garber facility. Sponsored by EAA Chapter4, Inc. Dinner with speaker of note. Limited to 200. Contact BernieMeserole, 15216 Manor Lake Drive, Rockville, MD 20853, 3 1 /460-8207.APRIL 26-29 - SEDONA, ARIZONA -International Cessna 195 Club Western Regional Fly-In. Contact Dr. W. W. Rogers, 5716 N. 19th Ave.,Phoenix, AZ 85015,6021249-1616 days, 248-0782 evenings.MAY 4-6 - BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA - EAA Ant ique/ClassicChapter 3 Fly-In. Antiques, Classics, Homebuilts and Warbirds welcome .Old films on Friday and awards banquet on Saturday . Contact: EspieJoyce, P. O. Box 88, Madison, NC 27025. Day: 919/427-0216; evening:919/427-0374.MAY 18-20 - HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA - Hayward to Las Vegas Air Race.Proficiency air race with no handicap. Student pilots welcome. Factory-builtantique and experimental aircraft capable of flying to Las Vegas in seven

hours we lcome. 500 cash prize. Contact Hayward Air Race Committee,20301 Skywest Drive, Hayward, CA 94541 or call Lou Chianese at 415 /581-2345, ext. 5285.MAY 25-27 - ATCHISON, KANSAS - 18th Annual Fly-In sponsored byGreater Kansas City Area Chapter of Antique Airplane Association atAmelia Earhart Airport in Atchison. Pot-luck dinner Friday, Awards banquetSaturday. Accommodations available at Benedictine College, motels andcamping. 80 and 100 octane fuel available. For information contact LynnWendl, Fly-In Chairman, 8902 Pflumm, Lenexa, KS 66215, 913/888-7544

or John Krekovich, President, 7801 Lowell, Overland Park, KS 66214,913/648-1279.JUNE 1, 2, & 3 - MERCED, CALIFORNIA - 27th Annual Merced West

Coast Antique Fly-In. Merced Municipal Airport. Fabulous air show Saturday and Sunday. Free transportation to Castle Air Museum. Contact: DeeHumann, Registration Chairman, Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In , P.O. Box 2312, Merced, CA 95344 or phone 209/358-3487.

JUNE 3 - DEKALB, ILLINOIS - EAA Chapter 241 Annual Fly-In/Drive-InBreakfast. 7 a.m. to noon. DeKalb Municipal Airport. Contact: Gerry Thornhill, P. O. Box 125, Hampshire, IL 60140, 3121683-2781.JUNE 3 - CADIZ, OHIO - 5th Annual Fly-In/Drive-In breakfast at HarrisonCounty Airport starting at 8 a.m. Airshow in p.m. co-sponsored by E. F.Aircraft Services and Harrison County Airport Authority. For informationcall 614/942-8313.JUNE 8-10 - DENTON, TEXAS - Texas Chapter Antique Airplane Association 1984 Fly-In at Denton Airport . For information contact Ralph &Bonnie Stahl, Box 115-X, Roanoke, TX 76262, 817/430-8589.JUNE 15-17 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - 3rd Annual EAA Ultralight Convention. Contact EAA Headquarters for information, Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591 , 414 /426-4800.JUNE 28 JULY 1 - HAMILTON, OHIO - 25th Annual National WacoReunion . Contact National Waco Club, 700 Hill Ave. , Hamilton, OH 45015.JULY 6-8 - ALLIANCE, OHIO - 12th Annual Taylorcraft Fly-In/Reunion at

Barber airport, 3 miles north of Alliance. Factory tours, forums, and manyother activities. Contact: Bruce Bixler, at 216/823-9748.JULY 27-28 - COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS - 7 th Annual Funk Aircraft OwnersAssociation Fly-In. For information contact: Ray Pahls, President, 454 S .Summitlawn, Wichita, KS 67209.JULY 28 AUGUST 4 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - 32nd Annual Fly- InConvention. Start making your plans now to attend the World 's GreatestAviation Event. Contact EAA, Wittman Airfield , Oshkosh, WI 54903.2591,414/426-4800.AUGUST 6-10 - FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN - Fifteenth Annual International Aerobatic Club Championships and Convention . Contact EAA Headquarters for information. Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591, 4141426-4800. ;

CLASSIFIED ADSRegular type, 50 per word; Bold Face, 55 per word; ALL CAPS,60 per word. Rate covers one insertion one issue; minimumcharge, 8.00. Classified ads payable in advance, cash with order.Send ad with payment to Advertising Department The VINTAGEIRPL N P.O. Box 2591, Oshkosh, WI 54903.

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vintage airplane - mar 1984

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