vintage airplane - oct 2006

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Oct 2006

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O C T O B E R

E

VO

L.

34 , No. 10 2006

ONT NT S

1

Straight

&

Level

by Geoff Robison

2

VAA

News

5 Restoration Corner

Fuselage and landing gear

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

8

Stinson Gull

wing

A victorious V-77

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

4

Ryans, Tigers,

and

Spartans

-OhMy!

Meandering

through the

Fields

of Flying Machines

by Sparky Barnes Sarge

nt

3 The Vintage

Instructor

Playing the Weather Game

by Doug Stewart

34

Mystery Plane

by H.G . Frautschy

38

Calendar

39 Classified Ads

ST FF

EAA

Publisher

Tom

Pobere

zny

EAA Editor-in-C

hi

ef Scott Spangler


3/44

It's mid-September, and I find my

self traveling with the

EAA's B-17

Aluminum Overcast

again.

This trip

will take me from

Columbus

Ohio

through

the

Louisville/Knoxville area,

and then out to South Carolina before

returning home

late in

the

month.

I'm currently poolside doing my best

to

concentrate

on the

task

at hand i f

you know what I mean.

Typically, I do quite a bit

of

travel

by airliner to

catch

up

with

the B-17

tour,

but

of late I have been carefully

planning my volunteer time with the

EAA

in a

manner

that

allows

me

to

avoid

the

airlines

as much as

possible.

Airline travel

is

no longer appealing to

me in any way. The inconveniences

associated with this type of travel

now

far

outweigh

what

I used

to

consider a

relatively enjoyable experience.

It's not really the fault of the airlines;

it's mostly all about the ever-changing

policies

the

industry has to deal with

that severely affect the previously "sim

pie" rules

we

had to deal with

as

passen

gers. I mention these inconveniences

G OFF

RO ISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Flier s

rights

chines

within the rules. We must do

so in a diligent manner as we

conduct

safe operations. Your

personal

right

to engage yourself in recreational avi

ation in

this

great country

of

ours

is

not much different than any of your

other

personal rights as a citizen.

We

simply

must do

all we can to

protect

these exclusive rights, because the mo

ment they become insignificant to the

masses, some seemingly bright politi

cian or bureaucrat will begin

the

pro

cess of limiting or eliminating these

rights we all

hold

so dear. The long

and

short of this message

is

to remind

you all

to

be diligent,

and

be safe.

I have previously mentioned here

in this column the development of the

new

home

of VAA

Chapter 37 in Au-

burn, Indiana

GWB).

This

is

my

home

chapter, and although progress on our

new home has been coming

at

a little

slower pace

than

we

had

hoped

for,

a

great deal has been accomplished in the

past 60 days. By the time this column

hits your mailbox, our SO-foot by 100

foot hangar restoration project will have

We

will be moving

our

aircraft into

the

new

facility

within

the

next

cou

ple of weeks, and we hope to have a

small

shop

area completed soon

that

will allow us the unique opportunity to

maintain

and

restore some Significant

vintage flying

machines.

Please con

sider this an open invitation to come

join

the

chapter or at least stop by for a

visit if you find yourself in our area.

We are

extremely

proud to report

that

we

recently

conducted

our

first

Young Eagles event at our new home.

It was a wonderfully successful event

that

hosted dozens of Boy Scouts

and

assisted

them in

gaining

their

Avia

tion Merit Badges. This

is

what it

is

all

about, folks .

As

I have repeatedly stated, the ef

forts to

plan

for yet

another

AirVen

ture in 2007 finds us

attempting

to

figure

out

how we will

top the

pre

vious year's event.

Be

assured, we are

already formulating and develop-

ing a number of new and interesting

ideas for events

in the

Vintage area

for 2007. It's

never

too early

to

be


4/44

Setting the General viation

genda

Each year EAA AirVenture Osh

kosh

is

the meeting place for govern

ment officials and general aviation

(GA) representatives to discuss is

sues and solutions, to cooperate

on

preserving

and improving

GA,

and

to set the GA agenda for

continuing

dialogue throughout the year.

Oshkosh also provides the setting

for a mid-winter gathering of EAA

and senior FAA officials to review

progress on the agenda items. This

year's

EAA-FAA Summit is scheduled

for January 2007.

In

the

meantime, here are

the

key

issues

that

continue to receive prior

ity

EAA

attention.

Fight general aviation user fees

General

aviation fuel

taxes help

pay

for the

nation s

aviation infra

structure.

That funding mechanism

will expire in

September

2007.

The

Air Transport Association, a lobby

for U.S.

airlines,

is

calling for air

traffic control user fees

on

gen

eral

aviation

aircraft and pilots

and

for a

new governing board to

con

trol ATC

operations-a

board that

would

effectively be

controlled

by

the airline industry. The general avi

ation community is united

against

the

airlines' proposal to pay less and

control more.

EAA

and the other general aviation

vert to the sport pilot certificate

by the January 2007

deadline, and

complete the transition of ultralight

trainers (so-called fat ultralightsl/)

to light-sport aircraft by the January

2008 deadline. EAA is providing in

formation, materials, and assistance

to

ultralight

pilots

and

owners.

• Allow amphibiOUS

aircraft to

qualify for the light-sport aircraft cat

egory. The EAA will work to resolve

this issue in time to allow owners to

complete the transition of amphibi

ous ultralights to light-sport aircraft

by January 2008.

•

Support

and

promote

the

inter

nationalization of light-sport aircraft

standards.

Many countries have

ad

opted, or will adopt, some version

of

SP/LSA.

Australia has adopted the

ASTM voluntary standards for LSA;

Europe

and Canada

are

considering

doing the same.

EAA

will support

and

promote

this

and

other

initiatives

to

create a truly global

LSA

marketplace

and

community.

Continue work on aviation

medical issues

EAA and its Aeromedical

Advi

sory

Council

have

led

the

way

on

this

issue,

with

specific

propos

als for reducing

the FAA s backlog

of medical certification cases in

Oklahoma City-especially

special

issuance certifications.

The FAA

ad

opted

several

of

EAA's proposals

working on

issues

related to

ag

ing

general

aviation

aircraft.

That

initiative

was launched

at

an

FAA

Aging Aircraft Summit earlier

this

year, and work groups gathered for

a progress report at AirVenture. Offi

cials from the FAA said the agency's

goal is

to

keep aging airp lanes flying

safely, not to stop them from flying,

and

the FAA is looking for grass

roots solutions to

the challenges

facing aging aircraft. EAA will con

tinue to be an active participant in

this process.

Preserve and strengthen

the

5

percent rule

The FAA s 51

percent

rule, issued

in 1952,

is

the

foundation

of the

homebuilt

aircraft

movement. The

FAA strongly supports

preserving

the

51

percent rule, but the FAA and

EAA agree there are problems,

in

cluding how to consistently

define

what constitutes 51 percent

of

the

work of constructing an airplane

and

how to

treat

increasingly popu

lar

commercial

builder assistance

programs that seemingly violate

the

letter and spirit of the rule.

Blakey recently appointed an

Avi

ation

Rulemaking

Committee

(ARC)

to

advise the FAA

on strengthening

the

rule. Earl Lawrence,

EAA vice

president

of industry

and

regulatory

affairs,

is ARC

co-chairman.


5/44

Marcia

Sparky Barnes Sargent

Received Bax Seat

Award

EAA Fantasy

Flight

Camps

Congratulations to our newest member of the Vintage

Explore Noteworthy

Aircraft

Airplane team, Sparky Barnes Sa rgent. Sp arky was pleas

Up Close

antly surprised to learn she

had

been chosen to receive the

EAA s

Fantasy Flight Camps are ex

Bax Seat

Award,

given annually during

EM

AirVenture to the

pert-led weekend seminars exploring

Mmember who perpetuates the Gordon Baxter tradition

the detailed study of special aircraft.

of com municating the excitement and romance of flight.

Upcoming

sessions focus on the Ford

B

axter,

beloved columnist for

Rying

magazine for more than

Tri -Motor

and

B-1? bomber.

25 years, passed away in 2005.

All camps include privileged access

Sparky's refreshing view of vintage aviation has been

to various EAA facilities

and

special

published

in

various aviation

pub

lications over the past

de

ists, plus culminate in a flight aboard

cade, and most recently

in

Vintage

Airplane

Sparky

s

avia-

tor for lying

magazine,

the

subject aircraft.

tion enthusiasm is contagious-you need spend only a few was honored to e the

minutes reading her words or engaged

in

conversation with

presenter

of the

Bax

her to get

an

aviation inoculation ,

and

it doesn't

even

hurt

Seat

award

to

Sparky

The daughter of

an

aviator, she has enjoyed flying and Barnes Sargent at EAA's

maintaining vintage airplanes and sailplanes, including her Theater I n

The

Woods

restoration of a

Pipe

r

PA-17 Vagabond.

But it's the stories of during EAA

AirVenture

other restorers and pilots that really grabs Spar

ky. Oshkosh 2006.

EM s Ford Tri-Motor, October 13-15

When

I

have

a sense that a

good

story

may

unfold, I'm

Study the world's

first

mass-produced

like the proverbial child in the candy store-I m hungry for it I feel very fortunate to be able

airliner

at

the Ford Tri-Motor Fantasy

to combine my passions for aviation

and

writing,

and

have the opportunity to capture

vari

Camp.

The program pro

vides an

un-

ous facets of our collective aviation heritage through pho tography and the written word."

derstandin g

and

appreciation for one

Like so many of us in aviation, the airplanes bring us together, but it's the stories about

of aviation 's classic designs, affec

people's experiences that keep us together. Our hearty congratulations to Sparky on being

tionately referred to

as

the Tin Goose.

presented with the 2006 Bax Seat

Award.

ontinued on page 9

Living

Aviation Icon Immortalized

Clayton L. Scott, EAA 24643, has been flying airplanes for

80 years , compiling more than

8,000

hours

in

airplanes too

nu

merous to list. When he turned

101

on July 15 , the folks up at

the Renton, Washington, airport that bears his name (Clayton L.

Scott Field ) dedicated a life-sized bronze sculpture to honor him.

"Scotty, " to his friends, learned

to

fly by persuading airmail

pilots

at

Vern

Gorst s

Pacific Air

Transport

to

give him

some

dual instruction in 1926. He soloed in a Waco 9, three months

before Lindbergh s famous trans-Atlantic flight to Paris in May

1927, and soon was a Pacific Air pilot.

In

1929 , Scott made the first commercial flight across the

Gulf of Alaska, from Juneau to Cordova, in a Keystone Loening

Clayton Scotty

Scott at his l lst birthday

with

(L to R Dr.

Bonnie Dunbar,

president

of the Museum of

Flight

in

Seattle;

Bill

Jepson, co-sculptor, and Kathy Keolker, mayor, city of Renton.


6/44

Our thanks to every member who stepped up and m de a donation to help make the

VAA

area

of EAA

AirVenture

2 6

one

of the highlights of the annual

EM

Fly-In

and

Convention.

Your

selfless contributions benefited your fellow

VAA

members,

as

well

as

those members of the general public who came to be educated

and

entertained.

All

of the

contributors are listed

on

this

page, and we

thank you all - The V oard

of

Directors and V

taff

Diamond

Bronze

Bob :

Norma

Puryear

Ted : Beverly Beckwith

Anonymous

Donor

Stephen

Sawyer

D.

Ronald Boice

William Aikens

Arthur

F

Sere que, Jr.

Jeffrey Fallon

Lloyd

L.

Austin

Robert W. Siegfried

Rich Giannotti

James c. Baker

Hal W.

Skinner

Charles W. Harris

Lawrence A. Bartell

Colin

A. Smith

Hobart

Bates

David

P

Smith

Lynn

Jensen

Butch Joyce

Dave Belcher

Guy

A.

Snyder

Norma Joyce

Gary rossett

Joan Steinberger

Thomas

K.

Buckles

Donald

J.

Straughn

Bill : Saundra Pancake

Steve Buss

Seymour Subitzky

Stephen

Pitcairn

John S.

Carr

Allan R. Thomas

Ronald E. Tamon

George J. Ceshker

Don

:

Mary

Toeppen

John

R.

Turgyan

Perry M. Chappano

Cliff Tomas

Leslie Whit tlesey

Gene

R.

Chase

Carl : Pat Tortorige

Jim Zazas

David A. Clark

Harland Verrill

EAA

Antique/Classic Chapter 10

Geoffrey

E.

Clark

Tom Vukonich

Syd

Cohen

Bob

:

Pat Wagner

Platinum

Gerald

W.

Cox

Kern Wallace

Richard

:

Sue Packer

Dan

Dodds

LeRoy Weber, J

r

Robert : Jennifer Parish

Chris :

Cheryl

Drake

Robert

D.

Weber

W. Ben Scott

David G. Flinn

Rudy Frasca

Loyal

Supporters

Gold

Gavin Giddings

Harry O. Barker, Jr.


7/44

Curr

ent

Edi tor's Note: This is

one of

a series

of

articles concern

in

g

th

e restorat

ion of

vintage aircraft. The

or

iginal

series started in the

Fe

bruary 1986 issue of Vintage Airplane and

ran

until early 1987.

uselage and landing

gear

Any attempt to be specific on this

subject would have to be on one, and

only one, type

of

aircraft. So I feel it

best to start with the all-metal mono

cogue style of construction,

e.g.,

Cessna, Ercoupe,

Luscombe,

Swift,

etc. They all share similar

construc-

tion and evidence similar traits in how

they wear and

how

they are repaired.

We want this IRAN (Inspect and Re-

pair As Necessary) project to conform

to good practice, using

original

specs and standard repairs. In 2006,

EAA

sells a couple of good books:

Tips on Fatiglle will tell you

how

it

got that way and point out possible

areas to consider as prime inspection

for rework. Aircraft Sheet Metal, pub

lished by Jeppesen, is

one

good

book

available on the subject. I'd also sug

gest a

copy

of F Advisory Circular

43.13 be in your library. This

is

your

bible, your

encyclopedia,

and

your

ever-ready

reference

as to

how

the

FAA says repairs should

be accom-

plished.

And if

available,

we want

the airframe manuals from the spe

Y E.E.

BUCK

HILBERT

E

21,

l

e 5

dentist

does, we are going to

chart

it all, complete with frame numbers,

locations, descriptions, and notes as

to

our

plan

of

action. We'll attach

this plan

to

the

airframe

and use it

as a

checklist

as we

accomplish our

IRAN.

We may have to leave room for

items

that

will turn up

as

we go.

Got your

worksheets?

Digital camera?

Pencil and

measuring stick?

We re embarking

on a omplete

Take

one

area

at

a time, making notes,

taking pictures,

or

drawing diagrams.

If

it ain't broke, don't fix it may

apply to plumbing jobs, but we are

working

on

an

airplane, so

be thor-

ough Your airframe

manual

will be a

great help.

It

should have subassem

bly diagrams and speCifications, bolt

sizes and

tensions,

and information

that will save a lot

of

trial and error

when it's time

to

reassemble.

Some airplanes may have

bundles

of wiring. Pay attention to these, look

ing for deteriorating insulation. Cal

culate

planned

new

electrical

loads

if you can, and determine if

there

is

a need for replacement,

or

if the wir

ing is serviceable. Now is

the

time,

too,

to

look

at the engine

controls,

the

heat

and air boxes on the firewall,

and the ducts to the back seat. Check

the battery

box,

door

hinges, locks,

catches,

ashtrays

(hah I threw that

in

to get your attention ). Look at the

fuel lines and valves, hydraulic lines,

brake master cylinders, pitot

and

static lines (especially the old rubber


8/44

you look

at that

list

and

try

to

put a

timeframe on each item that needs

accomplishing, you'

ll

also realize this

is going

to take awhile. But it's

not

impossible.

You

can do

it

Tires and

Wheels

These

guys

take

one

beating

af

ter another. They get slammed

onto

the

ground, accelerated from zero to

landing

speed in a fraction of a sec

ond and banged through loose stones

and

gravel. They

hop

up and down

over pavement

and

turf irregularities

and suffer the

indignities

of heavy

footed drivers

who

take

them

for

granted. These are

the

drivers who

cuss when a brake fades

and

who give

very little thought to routine mainte

nance. "Whaddaya mean I need

new

bearings They were okay

when they

were inspected last year "

One

of the mysteries of aircraft

wheel bearing deterio ration

is

expe

rienced when we open up a wheel we

know

hasn't

flown in

maybe

a year

or so, and we find the bearing cup

all full of little dents. They were re

packed

and

fine

when

we stored

the

airplane in the back of

the

hangar last

year, and now they whine like a siren

when we spin them up.

This

is a classic case of what

the

bearing boys call frenelling. This

was explained

to

me

as

being

the

re

sult of

the earth's vibrations acting

on the

bearings

.

Anyone

else

heard

that

defin ition for frenelling?

-

Edi

tor) These

vibrations

seem

to

affect

the old, hard, 6-inch tail wheels more

than

anything. One of

the

engineers

told me it's a high-stress area and

that

the

whole airplane He gets dragged

through the mud,

sand,

tall

grass,

and dirt, suffers

the same

decelera

tion/accelerat ion forces

and

unbeliev

able side loads,

and

yet is

one-tenth

the

size of

the main

gear. Usually

the

only

attention

he

gets is when

he

falls apart

and

doesn' t work anymore .

I wish there was

some

way

to teach

respect and

admiration

for this little

guy instead of the scorn and neglect

that is so prevalent. But lectures aside,

check

the

tire for wear,

the

bushings

for slop,

the

steering and swivel op

eration, the springs and chains, also

the

connectors and

the control

arms

on the rudder and

the

wheel for wear

and

elongations.

Tires and Tubes

Why

is

it a guy

with thousands

of

dollars invested in an often rare and

valuable machine wi

ll

risk the whole

thing

with a

pair

of

mismatched,

weather-checked,

raunchy-looking,

you-wouldn't-believe-he-did-that car

casses of old tires? He won't replace

them because

the

tread is still good,

even

though the

sun

has baked

the

sidewalls

to

a frazzle.

Plan

to rep

l

ace

them

if they

are

more than

seven

or eight

years

old,

but

keep

them on the airplane

through

the

rebuild process. Then

you won't get

all

upset

if

you

spill

stuff on

them

or overspray

a li

ttle

paint.

Replace

them

after

the

threat

of oil spills, paint,

and any

backward

towing trips are over.

Trade A Plane roving Test

Redoing

the

gear isn't too difficult.

ward, and vice versa if there's toe-in.

Try

it-you'll

figure

i t

out

It's

then

up to you to adjust the track

correctly according

to

the manual, if

you have

one

. In

an older machine

you may have to "beat and heat" and

use

the

old eyeball

and

Trade-A -Plane

pages to get

the

results you want.

Toe-in may be desirable in a rolling

vehicle, but it

isn't

too advisable for

an airplane. I f you have toe-in

i t

will

exaggerate when the wing goes down,

and actually promote or help a ground

loop. DOff Carpenter learned this trick

with his Ryan

ST,

and he got it from

Bill

Haselton who got

it from some

smart

cookie

who

will go nameless.

The old Swallow

is

a good example.

When

originally built,

that thing had

so much toe-in it looked like

the

tires

were

affectionately looking at

one

another.

No

wonder

the

old-timers

couldn't

keep it from ground loop

ing. With

that

short-coupled tailskid

and a wing going down,

the

wheel just

rolled

under and took the

gear

with


9/44

we

picked

dirt

and

grass

from

be

tween the wheel flange and the tire

bead. More often than not,

the

wheel

flange is scratched and/or broken.

A

Cessna

195 also suffers

some

what

from the same malady. Pay ex

tra special attention to the

manual

on

these airplanes.

Make sure

your

Trade P

lane

proof test shows

proof

positive that you

don't

have a built

in ground loop.

One more item

on

this type of gear

leg. There is a

bolt

I call

the tongue

bolt at the extreme

upper

end

of

the

gear

that holds the entire

assembly.

Give this

guy

more

than

a cursory

glance. He holds everything in place

and is

subject to all the forces imag

inable . I f

the

aircraft has a history of

hard landings, it might

behoove

you

to replace

that bolt

,

or at

least Mag

naflux it to be sure.

Tubes Rags and

Sticks

Make the structure out

of

tubing

an

evolution

of the

bamboo

struc

ture in Dale Crites'

weetheart

Curtiss

Pusher.

Then

fair i t into a nice shape

with

formers

and

stringers

to

make

the lines flow. Cover

the

whole

thing

with the "rag" process of your choice,

and

you can have some very aesthetic

and

eye-pleasing designs like

the

Stag

gerwing,

Monocoupe

, Aeronca, etc.

These shapes are really neat and func

tional,

but the

strength lies

not in the

rag

or

the

stringers or

the

formers,

but in the tubes; namely the longe

rons and the clusters where the gear,

wing struts,

engine mounts,

and tail

feathers are attached.

When manufactured, these long

Telltale signs of rust-impregnated fab

ric may lead you to discover more ex

tensive

internal

damage. An ice-pick

test or even a drilled hole

in

these

suspect

areas will confirm or deny

deep

involvement. Now is the time

to prove to yourself and your IA that

you have a

sound fo

u

ndation

to build

on.

Also, if you have a tube

within

a

tube assembly (such as where a fin or

horizontal

surface

slips

into

a

tube

receptacle), it's a good idea to check

these rather carefully

too

.

Check these weld clusters and look

closely if

these

areas

have

a repair.

Clues as to

deformation

can

really

be evident if you just realize

they

are

trying to tell you

something;

for ex

ample

, a dragging

door

that doesn't

seem

to fit the

opening anymore,

doors

that won't

stay closed

and

keep

popping open

in flight

under

normal

flight

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10/44

onto

N9 6H

taxied

the flightline

in

the vintage

aircraft

camping

area

just

as the

crowds

had

thinned

for

the

day. The early

evening sun

ca

ressed its bright scarlet gull-shaped

wings, setting them aglow atop a vel

vet

black fuselage. Freshly

restored

gullwings denoted N9116H's

Stin

son

Reliant heritage,

but N9116H

began

life as a

military

AT-19.

The

Stinson Aircraft

Division

of Vultee

built 500 of these robust aircraft for

use as

navigational

trainers by the

United

States Army Air Forces. Pow

ered by

a

300-hp

Lycoming R-680,

wheel facilitated ground handling.

The

majority

of the AT-19s

were

sent to Great Britain via our govern

ment's

Land-Lease program during

World War II, and the British military

employed them for a variety of uses,

ranging from training naVigators and

transporting personnel or cargo to fly

ing observation

and

aerial

photo

mis

sions. Yet

their need

was short-lived,

and

several

hundred AT-19s

were des

tined

to

become military surplus back

in the States after the war.

These

hardy, five-place

airplanes

were soon made

available

for civil

ian purchase

and subsequently

cer

tificated

as

the

V-77.

They quickly

gained

popularity

in Alaska as bush

planes-whether on

wheels,

pon

toons, or skis. While 134 V-77s

and

15 AT-19s remain listed on the

FAA

Registry, they

are still

a

fairly

rare


11/44


12/44

Wynne, Arkansas.

Then he

sold it

to

another friend of mine,

and

it sat again

for years and years. Finally, this fellow

decided he wanted to sell it, and I told

Don and Mark about it. They

bought

it

in the spring of 2004 and started restor

ing it to show quality.

estoration

and

O/'a//enges

The V-77,

at that point,

had

only

1 077 hours total time in service but

c:

Q j i t despe

ratel

y needed a heavy

dose

of tender

loving care

to

bring

it

back

It

togeth

er into fly ing form. The

ensu

f)


13/44

a::

'

J

Z

z

~ ~

AirVenture Lindy award

winners-a

1946 Piper Cub

and

a 1947 Aeronca

Champ-before taking on

this

Stin

son. He's a perfectionist, and he knows

what

it takes to do a quality restora

tion. I am a house builder,

and

he's an

airplane builder, and there's a tremen

dous difference there. Mark has taught

me a lot in rebuilding this airplane.

And

when the

airframe

components

were completed

and

ready for the fi

nal assembly phase, Ross

Jones

gave

Mark Henley a helping hand.

Nearly all of the Stinson 's major

components

had somehow

survived

The Stinson has ample space and horsepower to cany camping gear

We

Dought the night

I looked

ot

If;

I

lOt/ed 11

/rom Hrst slght··

After installing the fabric on the

Stinson's steel tubing

and

aluminum

faired airframe, Henley used th e Air

Tech coatings system, just as he

had

for hi s previous award winners. It's

rea l

user-friendl

y and

ha

s a really

good shine, plus it holds

up

well, he

explains, adding, I've

had

real good

luck with it, and I prefer it over other

paint systems. The color scheme came

from a Hallmark Christmas

ornament

that

a buddy gave me-it was a minia

ture Stinson Reliant, painted black

and

red-and I modified that

scheme

for

the V-77.

I used just a basic black

and

Mark

Henley

Henleys enco

unt

ered a variety of

challenges.

For

Don

Henley,

i t

was

learning how

to sew

the hidden

rib

stitch that Mark

taught

me

and

then

rib-stitching those gullwings, because

the

depth of

the

wing varies,

and

i t

has so

man

y internal structures.

For Mark Henley, one notable

challenge that required some careful

thinking

was

th

e

wing installation.

That was a head-scratcher, for sure,

he recalls, explaining, we

ended

up

making padded, carpeted slings that

hung from the ceiling

to

help slowly

raise those h

eavy

but fragile wings


14/44

N9116H boasts a 300-hp Lycoming

R-6S0

from Radial

Engines Ltd. Note the gullwing style cowling, which pro

vides

easy

access to the

engine and

reveals the Stinson's

military heritage.


15/44

at

a fly-in

at

Bartlesville,

Oklahoma

.

"

When

I

met

him, he asked me

what

I was restoring, and I told him what it

was. Most people hadn't

even heard

of

one, and he actually had one

So

he took me flying in it, and that was

real

encouraging

because I hadn't

even seen

a complete V-77 at

that

point. And it's

the

only

one

I've seen

except for

mine

since then. He's a real

nice guy, and I called him a hundred

times-he

never hesitated to answer

any questions about the airplane.

So

he was absolutely a great help."

eatures and

ods

This

custom restoration

was de

signed to keep the

aesthetic

beauty Rib-stitching the

Stinson s gullwings

was time-consuming job.

of the

gullwing Stinson

intact

while

simultaneously incorporating the

practical convenience of modern

technology. Its modifications include

Cleveland wheels and brakes; an al

ternator; a

Garmin

GNS 430 GPS,

GTX 327 transponder, and GMA 340

audio

panel;

and

for the pilot and

passengers' entertainment, a PS Engi

neering

CD

player.

One unique feature about

the

V 77

is its

vacuum-operated

flaps. "I was

going to modify them and put elec

tric flap

actuators

in it, explains

Mark Henley,

because

I didn't re

alize how smooth

and

reliable

the

vacuum-operated flaps were until af

ter I flew

with

Buddy

in

his

Stinson

.

The flaps are lowered by using mani

Work

on

the

wings is well underway.

fold pressure from the engine,

and

a return spring helps them retract.

If

the engine

quits,

there

is an extra

reservoir

tank

that gives you one last


16/44

0-------- ~

Ryans

Tigers

and

Spartans

eandering through the fields

o

flying machines


17/44

,

"This is my 6th year at Oshkosh; I started coming as amodeler,

looking

for

subjects

to

model, and Igot caught with the

full-size


18/44

Leon

Whelchel

IL of

Iowa and his 1942

Tiger Moth,

with

longtime

friend and

fe

ll

ow

Tiger Moth

owner, Robbie

Jewitt of

the

United Kingdom

ger, and it was presented to

him

by

the Duchess of Bedford."

Whelchel

describes

the

Tiger as a

fun flying airplane,

but one that

"isn't

terribly stable. I

think they

designed

it

that

way, because it was a primary

trainer

for the Royal Air Force.

They

built over 8,000 of

them

during World

War

II and

the Tiger Moth

is

as well

known

in England

and the British

Commonwealth

as the

Piper Cub."

One of the interesting features you '

ll

find

on this vintage machine,

in ad

dition to its "ship's compass," are the

slats on

the

leading edges of the upper

wings, which are controlled by a lever

in the

cockpit.

Whelchel

elaborates,

If

the slats are not locked, they'

ll

fly

aerodynamically.

As

you increase your

speed, they'll

fly

back to the retract po

sition,

and

when you slow down, they

come out and

help you fly

at

slower

speeds. You'll want to lock

them

down

if

you re

flying acrobatics or dog

fighting with a Cub--and you can out

tum a Cub with this airplane "

Three of these flying machines were

present this year to commemorate the

75th

anniversary of

the Tiger Moth .

Two retained military

paint

schemes,

and the third was a replica

of

Lindley

Wright's original Woody Woodpecker

owned by Vintage

member

Tom Diet

rich

of

Kitchener, Ontario.

Dietrich

explains the history surrounding the

Woody Tiger Moth this way: "Lindley

Wright

is

a retired airline pilot

and

a

wartime pilot who flew 125 missions

over the Hump, and he just loves to

fly.

He used to come to Oshkosh and

he gave rides in Woody and that was

with no brakes and a tailskid-he was


19/44

Gary Kozak

of

Illinois with his Menasco-powered Ryan ST and its

original Dutch

navy

paint

scheme.

as they battled strong headwinds for

750 miles. Dietrich smiles with con

tagious enthusiasm as

he

shares that

he

has loved airplanes all

my

life,

and this is my 36th year

at

Oshkosh;

I started coming as a modeler, look

ing for subjects to mode l, and I got

caught with

the

fu

ll

-size bug, so

now

all my models are full size "

yan ST

When Vintage member Gary Kozak

of Downers Grove, Illinois, taxied his

1940 Ryan onto the grass field, onlook

ers walked over and began talking with

him before he even climbed

out

of

the

Menasco-powered open-cockpit mono

plane. But Kozak didn't seem

to mind

the

attention at all. He described

the

airplane he's owned since 1998 by first

134-hp Menasco Pirate D487." 450-hp Pratt Whitney Wasp R-985 .

Jake Bartholow was member

of the

Gemco Aviation

Services team

that re

stored

this Green Hornet Beechcraft Staggerwing.


20/44

A

highly

modified

Navion, which belongs to

Ron

Judy

of Oklahoma.

When the fire department

got there,

they hit it with water and that just

accelerated the flames. It only had 7S

hours total time

then, and

it's flown

only 30 hours since we've restored

it and a new owner has purchased

i t-so it has just over 100 hours total

time today."

nauion s 60th Hnniuersary

While some folks enjoyed family

type reunions, type clubs celebrated

the

60th

anniversary of

the

Navion .

Ron

Judy of the American Navion

So-

ciety explains

that

three rows of park

ing were reserved for them by the

Vintage Aircraft Association this year.

"We flew in individually, and we had

to

be here

by Sunday

night,

or the

tie-down spots were given

to

some

body else. Vintage also worked with

another

Navion type club, Navion

Skies,

and

we love

the

fact that we

were all able to park together," says

which were field

approvals.

Judy

flew his Super Navion from his home

in

the

panhandle

of

Oklahoma

to

AirVenture-and

he's

been

flying a

Navion to the

show ever

since he

bought

his first

one

in 1988 and be

came a Vintage member. All told,

he's flown

to

the

show

for a

total

of

27 years.

Swifts

The International Swift Association

(now the Swift Museum

Foundation

Inc.) has made an annual tradition of

attending

AirVenture. Founder Char

lie Nelson explains that beginning

in 1970, we have always had a group

arrival at Oshkosh. This year, we had

23

pre-registered Swifts,

and

also two

or

three

found

their

way after

the

opening of the show."

"Swifters" flew to Wisconsin from

a variety of locations,

including

Or

egon, Minnesota , Tennessee, Texas,

Ron Judy at work in the type club

tent;

he

is

on

the

board of directors for

the

American

Navion

Society.

ard Means

of

Oregon, and Dick and

Jeanie

Collins of

California, says

Nelson, who also elaborates on other

Swift activities

that

went

well during

the week, including their information

table

in

lithe type club tent, thanks to

lots of help. Our forum was attended

by

67

people,

and

we

had

46 for din

ner

in

Winneconne."

Short

Wings

The

Short

Wing Piper

Club

(SWPC) was

very

well-represented

this year,

thanks

to organizational

efforts

by

Vintage

and

SWPC

mem

ber

Jim

Clark

, who

contacted VAA

about type club parking. He was

originally granted 20 spaces, but

that number soon doubled.

Twenty

short

wings

made

a

group

arrival

on

Sunday, with 20 more arriving later.

Clark remarks, "This has just been a

hoot And VAA has

been

so gracious

with us. We

have an

abundance of


21/44

These Tri Pacers were among 40 short wing Pipers on the flightline this

year.

Jim

Clark

of Kansas

is all smiles as he stands with his freshly restored award-

winning PA 22120.

pie of Vagabonds

and

a Clipper here.

Our members flew in

from

Kansas,

Ohio, California, Illinois, Nebraska,

Pennsylvania

Georgia,

Wisconsin

Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Michigan,

Tennessee,

Washington

Texas, New

York Florida,

and

Idaho./I

Clark flew his newly restored and

modified PA-22/20 Pacer to

the

show

this year from his home in Chapman,

Kansas, and smiles

proudly

when

he

says, I had eight hours

on

it

when

I landed here. This is

my

first resto

Spartan-they

only made 34

of them

and there's

21

left

on

the registry, of

which

about

10 to 12 are flying./I

The Spartan has

a

450-hp

Pratt

Whitney R-985, and Bucher says, it

cruises around 150-160 mph

down

low,

and i t

goes 200

mph up high at

10,000 feet. It's a two-finger airplane;

it's very stable in the air and has fairly

good ground-handling characteris

tics. I

do

like wheel landings because

they

give me better visibility over

the

nose./I He's

owned the

airplane for

four years

now-two of

which were

devoted to

its

restoration-and this

was its

third

visit to AirVenture.

Luscombe T8f

Longtime

Vintage member Jerry

Sadowski was quietly reading a book

under the

wing

of

his Lycoming

powered 1949 Luscombe T8F Observer,


22/44

That was right after World War

II,

when all the pilots were

fly-

ing

on

the

GI

Bill. My friend

and

I would ride

our

bicycles

across

town

to the airport and

go sit inside

the

airplanes-and

they'd let us /I

family of

uiators

AirVenture not only attracts

all sorts of flying machines, but

groups of individuals who have

bonded over the years. Twenty

four years ago a unique family

of aviators was formed amidst

the rows of airplanes at Osh

Je

r

ry

Sadowski

of Minnesota

with

his

1949 Luscombe

T8F

and

patch-covered jacket rep

kosh. That family has grown to

resen

ting decade

s

of attendance at AirVenture.

Janis Thacker

of

Illinois spent her

h

on

eymoonwith her husband,

Bill,

at

EAA

s fly-in at

Oshko

sh years ago, and

they

ve

been

attending ever

since

yet welcomed the opportunity to

share

his

knowledge about

the

T8F.

There

were

73 of these Observ

ers built, and

they

made 35 more as

sprayers;

there

are

probably

just

un

der 50 flying today.

I

bought it

in

2000 in

Kingfisher,

Oklahoma, and

before

that,

I

owned

a Luscombe

8A

for 27 years. Compared to

the 8A the

T8F

is

a very heavy-feeling airplane,

and

it's a difficult airplane

to land

in

a crosswind."

When

asked

how many

times he's

attended

the

show, Sadowski laughs

with

the unbridled

enthusiasm of a

young boy and

holds up

his

patch

covered jacket, exclaiming, "I come to

Oshkosh every year I

wouldn't

wear

this

jacket

until I had five patches

on

it, because I

wanted

to be

an

old

t imer-now I am a really

old

timer.

As a little boy, I was an

airport bum.

more

than

60 members today,

and they range in age from 7 to

70, according to Ercoupe owner Darrell

Jenkins of Heber Springs, Arkansas.

We

have people from California, Arkan

sas, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, and

South Carolina,

and

most all of us

fly

vintage airplanes here every

year.

Being

at Oshkosh

is an

experience

that

you

just can' t describe to people, and I guess

if

I had to say that one particular thing

is

the best part, it would be the fellow

ship in our Metro Warbirds group./I

Vintage

members John

and Joyce

Pipkin, who journeyed to Wiscon

sin from

Columbia, South

Carolina,

in their

Cessna 180 to be with

the

group, echo similar sentiments. Joyce

Pipkin enjoys

the lithe gathering of

folks

from

all over

the

country;

we

look forward to getting together each

year

to celebrate our

love

of

avia

tion with

longtime

friends

and

new

acquaintances. Both

she and her


23/44

A nicely

restored

1946 Aeronca

7AC

in Chenoa, Illinois, this

year-a

jour-

ney they've been making for 19 years.

My

husband and

I had our honey

moon at Oshkosh under

the

wing of

our Luscombe, and that's

when

we met

some of these guys. Now it has become

a family vacation s well s an aviator's

reunion

for us, she says

with an

en-

ergetic smile. She earned her pilot cer-

tificate years ago, but explains that as

a busy

mother

today, she flies a mini-

van instead of an airplane.

fields

of

iscouery

AirVenture's grass fields were ripe for

discovery this summer, and we hope

you've enjoyed learning a bit more about

just a few

of the hundreds of airplanes

and their caretakers who were there. The

next time you find yourself meandering

through a field of flying machines, pause

for just a moment, and allow your eyes

to caress the graceful curves of wingtips

and rudders, and feel the wonder of dis-

covery unfolding deep

within

you as

A 1959

Meyers

200 0ne

of

two

Meyers

on

the

flight

line this year

.


24/44

Bob

Lock s newly

re-restored

1929 Command-Aire, which

fl w with

the American

Barnstormers

Tour this summer.

This

1931

Steannan

was a p rticip nt in the American

This

Menasco-powered 1932 Fairchild 22 was p rt of the

Bamstonners Tour, which ended t AirVenture.

American Barnstonners Tour.


25/44

We

supply Quality

workmanship

with

a

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Last and by no means least is price. We work hard to

provide as many safe certified repairs as possible. We


26/44

A Pratt

Whitney-powered Grumman

Goose-note the retractable tip float modification.

.

A patriotic-colored

Seabee

nestles close to the shoreline at the seaplane base.

This 1941

Aeronca 65-CA was

rebuilt

by

a host of

teenagers

at

the Flabob

Airport in Riverside, California. We ll have

more

on

this inspiring story in a future issue of

Vintage Airplane


27/44

Robert

Pete

Johnson

Faribault

MN

rivate

pilot since

197

urchased

first aircraft

in 1992

I purchased my first and only aircraft,

GC l

B Swift

78068

in

1992 after a lengthy search.

Immediately after the purchase, 068 was fully restored back to

original. And, also immediately after the purchase, I began my

relationship with AUA that continues very favorably to

this

day.

Pete Johnson


28/44

Several

Cessna

170s

were

grouped together.

These

three

Spartans made an impressive showing on

the flightline

Bob

McCorkle flew

his

1935 Kinner Sportster to

AirVenture from his

home

in Connecticut


29/44

The 2007 official Vintage Airplane calendar is a collection

of

stunning

air-to-air aviation photography showcasing some

of

the most remarkable

airplanes of yesteryear. Each month features a classic aircraft that will

be prized by anyone who appreciates the grandeur of aviation. Detailed

narrative descriptions are provided with each image, plus "three-views" of

the featured planes. Each month also provides key events in aviation history,

on the actual date of occurrence. This 14xll-inch, full-color wall

rUF. HUU

is the perfect giftfor all

V

members and their families.

-

To

order, mail your check/money order to:

VAA

2007 Calendar c/o Turner Publishing Company

PO Box 3101 • Paducah, KY 42002-3101


30/44

Stinson

Gullwin.g

continued from page

eautiful Henley

Red gullwings form

a

bold

yet

graceful silhouette against the

blue Florida

sky

l e S S O l S andRewords

Together, the Henleys gained some

valuable

know

ledge

throughout the

project. When asked what tips or sug

gestions they might share with others,

Mark Henley laughs

good-naturedly

and

comments, "Know

when

to stop

That's because before too long, it can

cost you more

than

it might be worth."

Don Henley, who

watched

his

son

Mark

become interested in

air

planes

as

a child, shares that his

own

"personal satisfaction was

to

see

my

son

fulfill a

dream, adding,

after a

moment's thoughtful

reflection,

"I

know how

to build houses, and how

to

make

a

living

, but I had no clue

we would spend a third this much

time to build

an airplane.

So

it's im

portant

to

have

patience

and no t

be

overwhelmed by a project. If you can

learn

to

take it

one

step

at

a time, it's

not

so overwhelming."

e r

haps

the

most

satisfying thing

about

the pro ject, for both men, was

seeing it accelerate

down

the runway

and

take off for its

maiden

flight.

Sweet

FI ling Moehine

Of

course, one

of

the ultimate re

wards of this custom restoration is re

served for those

aviators who

have

the good fortune to climb inside the

spacious cabin

and

experience flying

in

this

victorious V-77. Mark Henley

wasn't able

to

attend Sun 'n Fun be

r i L W ~ L S

cause of his work schedule,

and

it was

Chris Emerson who received the

honor

of

flying

the newly

restored

Stinson

from Batesville, Arkansas, to Lakeland,

Florida, accompanied by Don Henley.

"Well, somebody

had

to

fly

it," says

Emerson,

laughing as a huge

smile

spreads

across

his

face . He quickly

adds, "Seriously, it's a real opportu

nity

to get to

fly

it,

and

opportunities

like

that don't

come along every day.

We left

Arkansas

a little after

9:00

a.m. and arrived here at Lakeland

about 7:30 p.m. When we left, it only

had

about 10 hours on it,

and

we put

abo ut seven

hours

on

it

flying down

here

. It's very

fun to

fly; it's

kind

of

like a big truck because i t has a heavy,

solid fee l to it. I t ~ not

bad at

all on

land ing, but

it

does need brakes be

cause the tail wheel

doesn't

steer. It's

a real sweet flying airplane, real easy

to handle, and very predictable."


31/44

continued from page 3

The

experience

is

capped by

a two

hour

flight in EAA s 1929 aircraft

during which participants can log 0.2

hours at

the

controls.

EAA s B-17G, December 1-3

One of

the

most

noteworthy-and

effective-airplanes

of

World War II

was

the

B-17 Flying Fortress.

EAA s

meticulous flying example,

Aluminum

Overcast needs little introduction.

Camp participants will be immersed

in

the history

of

the

type

meet

B-

17 veterans,

and

receive a 45-minute

flight experience.

Visit

www.AirVentureMuseum.org /

f/ightops/fantasycamp

for more infor

mation or to sign up to attend.

VAA

Calendar

Ad

In this month's issue of

Vintage

Air-

plane

you'll see

an

advertisement for

the

2007 Vintage Aircraft Association

calendar,

as

published by Turner Pub

lishing. The calendar features

the

out

standing aviation

photography

of

EAA s staff and volunteers, along wi th

a bonus page dedicated

to

VAA s

vol

unteer corps. Each airplane is described

and shown with a three-view draWing,

and many

aviation events

are

high

lighted

on

the actual day of occurrence.

A portion of

the

proceeds benefits

the

VAA.

See the ad on page

25

for more in

formation, and order yours today

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

Whether you are a

student

pilot

or

an

experienced flight instructor, we'd

like to hear about why

you

fly. EAA

CFI's

Guide

to Sport Pilot and

Light-Sport

Aircraft

Available

EAA

and its affiliate organization the Na

t ional Association

of

Flight Instructors

(NAFI)

have developed the CFI's Guide to Sport

Pi

lot

and Light-Sport Aircraft for existing cer

tificated flight instructors

seeking to

offer

sport pilot instruction.

Current certificated flight instructors don't

need any new certification to train sport

pi

lots. They may train

sport

pilots within the

category and class limitations

of

their certifi

cate. The

CFI s Guide

provides overviews of

t

he

sport pilot certificate

and

the various

LSA

categories, along with requirements for aug

mented privileges, endorsements,

and

more.

Our goal is

to

make

it

as easy as pos

sible for existing CFls to offer sport pilot instruction, said Charlie Becker,

EAA

director of aviation services. This puts it all in one place to take some of the

perceived mystery out

of

what's required for sport pilot instruction.

Larry Bothe, Master Instructor and an

FAA

deSignated pilot examiner from

Seymour, Indiana, attended AirVenture Oshkosh this year looking for answers to

a list of

sport

pilot certificat ion questions. My intent was to ask the experts who

would be available at the show,

he

said, but upon entering the

sport

pilot area

at the

EAA

Member Village,

he

got a copy

of

the

CFI s Guide.

After I got

that

I

didn t

need to talk to anybody, he said. All the answers

and interpretations I needed were right there

in

plain English. Every CFI and

DPE

ought to have a copy.

Visit

www.SportPilot.org

and click on the Flight Instructors tab to download your

copy today.

And

if you're a

CFI

offering sport pilot instruction, get some free expo

sure by listing yourself in the

EAA

sport pilot instructors directory on the website .

• Written testimonials must not

EAA's

New

U.S Bank

exceed 150 words

in

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32/44

ties cardholders to a discount (Up to

10 percent; restrictions apply to avi

onics) with

EAA

flagship partner Air-

craft Spruce & Specialty. Additional

partners will be added to the program

in

the

future.

EAA serves the needs and interests

of aviation enthusiasts by

provid

ing

opportunities

for

participation,

representation in government and

industry

affairs,

information re

sources, and

educational

programs.

EAA

receives a

portion

of each

pur

chase

made with the card

to help

support

its educational

and youth

activities

.

Share

your

passion

and

commitment to aviation by signing

up

for an

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for more information.

AVIATION N THE MEDIA

lyboys

Lucky EAA

members

who won

tickets to

the

premiere of Flyboys

min

gled with aviation celeb

rities such as Bob Hoover

and movie folks as the

film, directed by

Tony

Bill, debuted in EAA s

Ea-

gle Hangar during EAA

AirVenture. Based

on

the

story of the men of the La-

fayette Escadrille, the film

features the flying skills of

a number of EAA

mem

bers, including

VAA s

own

Andrew King, who helped

the

movie's producers gather

the replica aircraft used for full-scale flying. Andrew also

flew for

the

cameras, his experience

with

World War I

aircraft

and

vintage airplanes proving to be just

what

the

director needed.

Using extensive computer-generated (CG) scenes and

aircraft,

F/yboys is

a spectacular film. While certainly

not

a documentary, the aircraft look exceptionally good, as

the filmmakers strove to make the presentation of oth

erwise impossible scenes to film come alive. Bill, direc

tor of

the

film,

is

an active pilot,

and

he used technology

to help artists complete their CG work. For example, a

Bticker biplane was rigged

with

a set of sensors so

that

aerobatic sequences for the movie could be recorded in

terms a computer could understand, including accelera

PBS viation

Programs

Aviation seems to be a common theme in the media

these days,

and the

PBS

network has a pair of programs

that

will pique the interest of aviators. Warplane will air

November

8 and 15, 2006.

The

first program,

Airplane

to Air Force deals with the invention

and

growth of

the

airplane

into

a practical fighting machine

and

includes

some well-done graphics. In particular, the use of a com

puter-animated rotary engine explains

the

unusual na

ture of its construction clearly

and

quickly. Since there

is

no

actual aerial footage shot during WWI,

the

produc

ers met

the

challenge of visually explaining early aerial

combat by rolling

out the

footage from Hell's Angels

and

Wings to help fill in the visual gaps, and those shots are

intermingled with footage shot of modern-day replicas,

which help clarify the origin of the footage. Since I saw a

copy of the program before it

had

been finalized, I can t

tell you for certain the footage will be identified within

the

program,

but

you'll

know

it

when

you see it. Both

programs help highlight the challenges

aviators

and

designers had to deal with as the fighting airplane rap

idly matured

into

a force

that

literally could change the

course of history.

Also being shown on PBS

within

its award-winning

NOVA series

is

a

documentary concerning one

of piO-

neer aviation s most enigmatic men:

Alberto Santos

Dumont.

We

have

not had

the opportunity to

preview

the program, but the NOVA website

has

details

con

cerning

Wings

o

Madness

the

title

of the

NOVA pro

gram that will tell the amazing tale of Santos-Dumont,

the

expatriate

Brazilian whose work in balloons, air

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34/44

BY DOUG STEW RT

laying the

weather

game

Last

month

I wrote about my departure from AirVenture cards correctly, there was

no

reason I couldn't make it safely

2006 and mentioned the fact that many pilots were rushing

home before the day was done. Part of playing my cards cor

to depart between two weather systems. A strong front had

rectly was knowing

that

I had an ace

up

my sleeve in the

swept across

OSH

from the northwest with a squall line con form of all the weather information that was available to me

taining some severe thunderstorms that created havoc in in my Garmin 396 portable GPS and

XM

Weather receiver. I t

its path. A second squall line was following about 80 miles

was

the

proper use of this equipment that would aid me

as

I

behind the first line, so many pilots were eager to depart be caught up to the weather and picked a route around it.

tween the two lines of weather.

In the

not

too

distant

past, the

I

suppose many of those

pi

lots might have been departing

to

the

west, southwest, or

south and

would soon be far away from

the

problematic weather But I was

headed eastbound. It wouldn't take

too terribly long until I would catch

up to the weather that was leading

me

on

my way back home. What

would I do then, and what was my

rush to depart Wittman Field?

To

answer

the

latter question

first, I did have a client scheduled

at

my home airport for

the

fol

lowing day. The client knew

that

our appointment

was

dependent

In

the not

too

distant

past,

the

best that any

of

us

flying general

aviation aircraft

had

for

weather

avoidance

equpment

was

"third world radar"

best that any of us flying general

aviation aircraft

had

for weather

avoidance equipment was third

world radar (our two eyeballs look

ing out the windshield) and an ADF

to act as a Stone

Age

stormscope.

A handful of folks

did

have live

weather radar on board, and some

of those folks even knew how to use

that equipment

That, along with

some

approach

and

center

con-

trollers

who

had

the

knowledge,

equipment, and willingness to help,

was about the best that we could

do in avoiding any serious en-route

weather. But those days are history.


35/44

weather that preceded me eastbound, I knew exactly where

that weather was. At

the

touch of a button I could see

the

NEXRAD radar picture (including a time stamp telling me

how old the picture was, which was rarely more

than

10

minutes, maximum), I could see graphically which airports

were reporting VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR,

and

if I chose, I

could also see a textual

METAR

as well

as

any updated TAFs

for any selected airport.

If

there were any storm cells, I could

drag the cursor on the screen to the cell

and

tell instantly

the height of the tops, the decibels of rain, and the general

direction the cell was moving, as well as where it should be

in

15

minutes. Again, at the touch of a button I could read a

textual message telling even more about

the

cell: how wide

the cell was; its direction of movement as well

as

speed;

the

height of the tops and decibels of precipitation; and the per

centage and probability of hail.

As

AIRMETS, SIGMETS, and convective SIGMETS were is

sued, I could go to the screen of my receiver and see, graph

ically, what the

limits of those warnings

were,

without

having to try and find the VORs

that

defined those limits

(whose identifiers I knew not)

on

a chart. I could see

the

satellite picture as well as echo tops. I could reference winds

aloft and request the most effective altitude without climb

ing or descending only

to

find

out

that I had been better

off where I had been. I could see reported lightning strikes

(more

on

this in a moment), the synoptic picture

as

well as

forecast pictures up to four days hence), and more, all at the

stroke of a button or two.

Having

all

this weather information available in the cock

pit sure makes the airborne decision-making process much

easier when adverse weather is involved. It's obvious

that

having it is the cat's meow, but I also have some warnings as

well, lest that cat turn into a tiger and bite you real bad. To

begin with, we have to always remember that the NEXRAD

radar picture is a minimum of five minutes old when it is re

ceived in the cockpit. Thus, whereas the information is fan

tastic in developing a strategic plan for aVOiding the serious

weather that can ruin our day, it is not to be used

as

a tactical

tool to attempt to penetrate a line of weather.

As

an example, I used the equipment on

my

flight

out

to

OSH

, to avoid all the bad weather that lay from my home

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Also beware that

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36/44

BY

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS ONT S MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO COMES TO US FROM

THE COLLECTION

OF

ERIC LUNDAHL.

1929, pp 388, 445) has two men


37/44

tions

of the 1929

amphibian.

The

first mention is made

in

an article

about the

forthcoming

National

Aeronautic Association

(NAA) Exhi

bition and National

Air Race,

held

at Cleveland, Ohio (where the Great

Lakes

Aircraft

Corp.

was

located).

The

article,

A

forecast

of the

Cleve

land

Show

(Neville, Leslie E., pp

387 -394), states: ... Two amphibi

ons, the

latest

products

of

the

Great

Lakes Aircraft

Corp.,

will

be shown

in

the

company's

booth.

Two

train

ers, one of which will

be

suspended

overhead on

a revolving

turntable in

constant motion, will be

shown.

An

other trainer will be used by the air

race

management

as a

'living poster'

and other planes of this type

will

be

exhibited at various

hotels

and de

partment

stores

in

the

city

. .

,,

The second

mention of the

Great

Lakes amphibian, or

amphibion, to

use

the contemporary term,

comes in General

News

column

in viation

(Great Lakes Making

Amphibions,

p

445).

The

text

states: CLEVE

LAND (OHIO) - Great

Lakes

Aircraft

Corpora

tion here is now in pro

duction on a new four

passenger, twin-engined

amphibion biplane.

Whether

the Neville

article refers

to

two air

craft

of the same type

or

two

different

designs,

I

cannot say.

phibions and

air yachts as far back


38/44

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as 1911. Given the preponderance

of

evidence that Richardson had

been

involved

with

so

many

float

planes and flying boats, it does seem

likely

that

he had

a

good

deal

to do

with the 1929

amphibion s

design.

That said

given

his reputation as a

designer, it is a bit

surprising

that

the 1929 amphibion would have

been

such a flop.

I

understand

the Skyways maga

zine has a

fairly good

article

on

Great

Lakes

aircraft in

the January

2003 issue which may have further

information about

the

amphibion.

Unfortunately,

I

do

not have

that

issue. Moreover it is

quite possible

that

there

are further mentions of

the 1929

amphibion

in the various

periodicals,

including Aviation

My

copies for 1929 are

quite

limited as

I generally specialize in

much ear

lier aircraft types.

Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois

The July

Mystery

Plane

is the

1929 Great Lakes 4A-1 amphibian

with

16S-hp

Wright WhirlwindJ-6-S

engines.

The

Wright

engines re

placed

the

original 11S-hp Cirrus

Hermes

in-line

four-cylinder en

gines after the

prototype

crashed

on takeoff with

the Cirrus Hermes

engines.

I t seems

uncertain how

many

model

4A-l

planes

were built. Aero

files.com

lists registration number

8S0K as serial number 100 and reg

istrations 851 K and 8S2K were ap

parently

reserved for registration as

The

July Mystery

Plane

is the

http:///reader/full/files.comhttp:///reader/full/files.com


39/44

Great Lakes 4 A1 with identification

made from Joe Juptner's T-Hangar

Tales,

pp. 83-84, and from the article

by Page Shamburger and Joe Christy

entitled

liThe

Legendary Meyers

and

his Mighty Midget" in Air Progress

for November 1968, pp.S2-SS, 72-73 .

There were reports in contemporary

aeronautical magazines, for exam

ple, Aviation Vol. 27 (July - Decem

ber

1929) p. 277, p. 245, p.

467ft.

and

p. 502ft. I'll

quote

from the last

of these later.

The

4-A 1 was built by the

Great

Lakes Aircraft Company (GLAC) of

Cleveland, Ohio, in about 1929. I t was

a four-place

amphibian

powered ini

tially by a pair of Cirrus Hermes four

cylinder

in-line engines

of

115 hp

each. Later, it was re-engined

with

a

pair first of Wright J-6-S five-cylinder

radial

engines of ISO hp each and

later with WrightJ-6-7 seven-cylinder

radial engines of 220 hp

each.

The

Hermes engines were probably made

in

England, since American Cirrus

Engines

Inc.

built

only

a slightly

smaller engine,

the

Cirrus Mk.Ill (ac

cording to Aerosphere for 1939).

The story of the failures

to

fly of

the 4 A1 is described in the Juptner

and Air Progress write-ups. I am quot

ing, instead, from

the

fourth Aviation

reference because it gives information

not

available in more recent publica

tions. My quotation is from a hand

written

transcription that I made

about 45 years ago (before copy ma

chines), so it

may

not

be exact .

The

GLAC

training plane

in the quote is

the famous 2-T-l series, which had

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Documents