STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

t .~.. ~ ~

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

All the weather forecasters were predicting a huge snowstorm for our area this past weekend. When this hap­pens in the Piedmont of the Carolinas, everyone starts thinking only about sur­viving. What this entails is making a run on the grocery stores, banks, and storing more wood. I mean if they just predict snow, you can rush to the grocery store and all the milk, bread and all other necessary items are gone. What do these people eat when the sun is shining?

Well, I will not allow myself to be controlled by the weather forecasters. The first thing I do in a situation of this

nature is to dodge all of these crazy people on the highway while I'm en­route to the airport. I want to make sure that my Cub is tucked away securely so none of those white flakes touch her. Next day, the sun was out, blue skies and no snow on the ground. I went back to the airport, rolled my Cub out and went flying. I sure don't want to be a weatherman.

Talking about winter weather makes me look forward to the annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In held at Lakeland, Florida. This year the dates for this event are April 7-13. This is a good time to be had by all. Billy Henderson ramrods this fly-in with the backing of a good board of officers and directors. Billy also has the help of a lot of volun­teers which is necessary.

Sun 'n Fun offers you the chance to see a number of a new antique/classic types. Florida has a good many retired people and this combined with the air­

port community concept, has attracted quite a few airplanes to this region. Hope you can make this fly-in. I will be there in support of the Sun 'n Fun's efforts and representing the EAA An­tique/Classic Division.

I have been debating for some time if I should talk about our Mid-East situa­tion. Having served in the U. S. Army "Special Forces" during the 1960s, I can appreciate the sacrifices that our ser­vicemen and women are making for our country now. I personally salute these individuals for their loyalty and sense of duty to our country.

I hope that each individual can retum home safely and soon. I also hope that our elected officials remain solidly be­hind our troops, supply them with the best weapons that we build and not tum political on us .

Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Join us and have it all..

Surprise, Butch! Here's Butch's contribu­tion to "Members Projects". After years of airplane work and paperwork, his Clip­wing Cub is out and about the North Carolina skies. Modifications from a stock Cub include the Reed clipped wing con­version, a full pressure cowl enclosing a Continental C90-8, wide rear seat, and other custom goodies. Covered with the Razorback system, it has a color scheme reminiscent of his favorite airplane, the Monocoupe. Butch says it's a terrific amount of fun to fly, and has plenty of get up and go. look for it on the southern fly-in circuit this coming season.

2 FEBRUARY 1991

PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENT MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Dick Matt

EDITOR Henry G . Frautschy February 1991 • Vol. 19, No.2 MANAGING EDITOR

Golda Cox

ART DIRECTOR Mike Drucks

ADVERTISING Mary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Norman Petersen Dick Cavin

FEAlURE WRITERS George A. Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Isabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Koepnlck Carl Schuppel

Mike Steineke

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.

OFFICERS President Vice-President

Espie "Butch" Joyce Arthur R. Morgan 604 Highway St. 3744 North 51st Blvd.

Madison. NC 27025 Milwaukee. WI 53216 919/427-0216 414/442-3631

Secretory Treasurer George S. York E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424 Mansfield. OH 44906 Union. IL 60180

419/529-4378 815/923-4591

DIRECTORS John Berendt Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

7645 Echo Point Rd. 9345 S. Hoyne Connon Falls. MN 55(X)9 Chicago. IL 60620

507/263-24 14 312/779-2 105

Gene Chase John S. Copeland 2159 Carlton Rd. 9 Joonne Drive

Oshkosh, WI 54904 Westborough, MA 01581 414/231-5002 508/366-7245

Philip Coulson George Daubner 28415 Springbrook Dr. 2448 Lough Lone

Lawton, MI 49065 Hartford, WI 53027 616/624-6490 414/673-5885

Charles Harris Stan Gomoll 3933 South Peoria 104290th Lone, NE P.O. Box 904038 Minneapolis, MN 55434 Tusla, OK 74105 612/784-1172 918/742-7311

Dale A. Gustafson Jeannie Hill 7724 Shady Hill Drive P.O. Box 328

Indianapolis, IN 46278 Harvard. IL 60033 317/293-4430 815/943-7205

Robert Lickteig Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 1708 Boy Oaks Drive 1265 South 124th SI.

Albert Leo. MN W1J7 Brookfield. WI 53005 507/3732922 414/782-2633

Gene Morris Steven C. Nesse 115C Steve Court, R.R.2 2009 Highland Ave.

Roonoke. TX 76262 Albert Leo, MN W1J7 817/491-9110 507/373-1674

S. H. "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwotosa, WI53213

414/771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS s. J. Wittman

7200 S.E. 85th Lone Ocala, FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS John A Fogerty Dean Richardson 479 Highway 65 6701 Colony Drive

Roberts, WI 54023 Madison, WI 53717 715/425-2455 608/833- 1291

Copyright © 1991 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents

2 Straight & Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce

4 Aeromail

5 A/C News/complied by H.G. Frautschy

6 Calendar Page 9

7 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks

11 To Oshkosh in 58 years - Part I by Ken Morris

14 Members Projects/Vintage Seaplanes by Nonn Petersen

16 A Sedan with One Door Page 23by H.G, Frautschy

20 Pioneer Airport-The Lincoln PT-K by H.G. Frautschy/Norm Petersen

24 Interesting Member-Jim Barton by Gene Chase

29 Pass It To BUCk/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

30 Vintage Trader Page 27

34 Mystery Plane/by George Hardie Jr.

FRONT COVER . . . Over the soft green interior o f Flaida, Dick Folsom's 15AC Aeronca Sedan shows the form it used to win an 'Outstanding Aircraft" award at Sun 'n Fun '90. (Photo by Jim Koepnic k, Photo plane flown by Jim Do rman).

REAR COVER ... Artist Jack Bullard of Odessa, Texas entered his painting ' Ferry from Lockhaven" in tihe 1990 sport Aviation Art Contest. While tihe winners have traditionally been featured o n tihe back cover of SPORT AVIATION, tihere are a number of paintings that we felt were worthy o f sharing witih the membership. We have a number of paintings from the contest that we will be sharing with you during the coming months.

The words EM, ULTRALIGHT,FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM,SPORT AVIATlON,and Ihe 1"90S of EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIAnON INC., EM INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EM ANTIOUEjCLASSIC DIVISION INC., INTERNATIONALAEROBATIC CLUB INC., WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC .. are registered trademarl<s. THE EM SKY SHOPPE and 1"90s 01 the EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EM ULTRALIGHTCONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above associations is strictly proh ibited.

Editorial Poficy: Readers are encoureged 10 submitstories and phot"9raphs.Policy opinions expressed in anides are sofety lhose of the authors. ResponSibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Material should be sent to: Editor, The VINTAGEAIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone:414/426-4800.

The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (SSN 0091·6943) is published and owned exclusively by EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. and is published monfhly at EM Aviation Cenler, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 5490t and additional mailing offices. Membership rates lor EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. are $20.00 for current EM members for f 2 month penod 01 which S t 2.00 is for the publication of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to all whoare interested In aviation.

ADVERTISING - AnnquejClassic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product oHefed through our advertising. We invite constructive critiCIsm and welcome any report 01 inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be laken.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes 10 EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Dear Sir,

Enclosed are several photos, enlarge­ments of the original shots. The photos may be of value to your archives. The one photo (2 biplanes) may be an excel­lent candidate for your "Mystery Plane" of the month.

The Waco 10 photo was taken at South Bend, Indiana airport in 1930. This particular craft (C774K) was being flown by my father (I have his pilot logbook). I believe, if memory serves, that the Wacos in the photo belonged to Homer Stockert's Flying Service at the S.B. Airport when the picture was taken.

Sincerely, Bill Henderson (EAA 245016)

Thanks for the pictures, Bill. One of Bill's pictures was used as last month's Mystery Plane. Sending ill this type of picture really does add to our collec­tion. Whell a picture ofaviation interest is received, I forward it 011 to the Photo

Lab here at EAA Headquarters, where a copy negative is made. A pair of prillts is made, one for publication and another for the Library archives. Your original is then returned. Ifyou do send in pictures like this, be sure to include as much information about the suhject w; you can. - HGF

CLEVELAND - 1931 earlier decided was an Ireland (it was Dear George (Hardie), the Great Lakes Amphihian - HGF) but

While thumbing through the Oc­ the big three-stack passenger steamer in tober, 1990 issue of VINTAGE the background. Suddenly it was the AIRPLANEsomething caught my eye in late summer of 1931, and I was a lad of the top photo of Mystery Plane. It was 15 in Cleveland, Ohio, attending the not the biplane amphibian which I had National Air Races. My family, always

4 FEBRUARY 1991

supportive of my interest in aviation, had allowed me to take my mother's 1930 Ford roadster and with two friends, drive there from our home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We stayed three nights at the YMCA at $1.00 per night (our budget for the entire trip was $15.00 per boy). Early the first morning before going out to the air­port we visited the lakefront and watched a big Loening amphibian of Thompson Aeronautical Corp. strug­gle out of the water onto the terminal ramp, having just arrived on a regular­ly scheduled flight from Detroit (the same spot as shown in your photo).

Tied up nearby and out of commis­sion, a victim of the Depression and competition from the automobile, lay the huge paddle wheel passenger steamer, SEEANDBEE. She was des­tined to lie there for another ten years when, with our entry into World War II drawing nearer, she was reborn as an auxiliary aircraft carrie r, the USS WOLVERINE. The story of the role she and a near-sister, the USS SABLE, played in the training of thousands of fledging Navy pilots in their first car­rier operations, is well-known, safe from Axis submarines on Lake Michigan .

Enclosed are two now priceless sna p­shots I took that day almost 60 years ago.

Sincerely, Rowland L. Hall EAA 146593, A/C 12951 )

Rowlands boyhood treaslIres are 0 1/

his way hack to him. Here ore the pic­tures taken on that memorahle trip so mallY years ago. Look closely at the picture with the two Loellings, alld YO Il will see what appears to be (I Sikorsky 5-39 Amphibiol/, (spelled as Igor al/d his company preferred) . - HGF.

Compiled by H.G. Frautschy

BUCK HILBERT APPOINTED TONAAPOST

Our own Buck Hilbert, master of Hilbert's Funny Farm and proprietor of his column "Pass it to Buck", has been appointed the Chairman of the Contests and Records Board of the National Aeronautic Association. The NAA is the National Aero Club of the United States, and is the official United States representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) . The FAI certifies aviation records that are set throughout the world, and Buck will be responsible for overseeing record at­tempts and competitions that are sanc­tioned by the NAA. As we go to print, Buck has already traveled to witness an altitude record attempt by astronaut "Hoot" Gibson, taking place in the Houston, Texas area. Watch for more information on the final outcome of Hoot's attempt in the HOT LINE sec­tion of the March issue of SPORT AVIATION.

One of the early board members of the NAA was Orville Wright, who served as Chairman of the Contest Board. We're confident that Buck will

more than live up to that reputati on. He says it's a "world honor". We couldn ' t agree more. Congratulations, Buck!

OMISSION

In the December issue, an article about "Edna's Postcard" appeared. Through a series of complicated errors, the byline was omitted. The postcard and the article were submitted by mem­ber Jim Haynes (EAA 285970, A/C 12099). Our apologies to Jim and our thanks for his submission!

EAA REFERENCE GUIDE

A very handy reference guide is com­plied by member John Bergeson (EAA 16546, A/C 207). We use ours here at Headquarters all the time. It's available from John for $17.50 ($19.00 Canada, 25.00 others), U.S. Funds. Every EAA journal, 1953 to 1989, is covered, with a supplement for 1990. John will also make a copy of any article for 30(\: per page, with a $5 minimum order. He has all the magazines .

'91 EAA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

In a recent development, Colorado Aero Tech of Broomfield, Colorado has joined the EAA Scholarship lineup. Through their Colorado Aero Tech Aviation Technician Award, they will award one full tuition scholarship for their A&P or Avionics technician programs.

The goal of th e EAA Aviati o n Scholarship program is to encourage, recognize and support excellence in stu­

dents pursuing knowledge of the tech­nologies and skill s of aviation. Annunl scholarships provide assistance to out ­standing individuals, demonstrating a financial need, to accomplish their avia­tion goals . Applicants should be well ­rounded individuals involved in school and community acti vities, as well as aviation. The academic records of ap­plicants should verify their ability to successfully complete the educational activity for which the scholarship is re­quested.

For info rmati on and applicati on materi als for these scholarships (now numbering 18 with this recent addition) ranging from $200 to programs leading to an engineering degree, contact the EAA Education Office at EAA Head­quarters at 414/426-4888 .

OPERATION DESERT STORM

In response to a request from the AOPA, the FAA is preparing a Spec ial FAR granting a time extension to fli ght instructors who are on military duty in the Persian Gulf, and to civilians work­ing in on-s ite support o f Operat ion Desert Storm. The extension allows six months after release from Desert Storm activities. After release, CFIs have six months for certificate renewal or for using written exam results toward cer­tification.

Our best wishes to all members in ­volved in Desert Storm, be they rela ­tives or military personnel assigned to the Gulf - our thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy end to the confli ct, with maximum results and minimum casualties .•

VINTAGE AIR PLANE 5

March 1-3 - San Antonio, TX In­temational Liaison Pilot & Aircraft As­soc iation (ILPA) is hosting the first world-wide gathering of L-Birds. Con­tact Bill Stratton, 16518 Ledgestone, San Antonio, TX 78232 512/490-ILPA (4572).

April6 - Wichita, KS. 3rd Annual Arthritis Foundation Proficiency Air Rally, Col. James Jabara Airport. To obtain entry/pledge collection forms or more information, contact The Arthritis Foundation, Kansas Chapter, 316/263-0116; in Kansas, call 1/800/362-1108.

Apri l 7-13 - Lakeland, FL - Annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In A Tribute to Aviation. For more information, see the ad on pages 44-45 in the January issue of SPORT AVIATION or call 813/644­2431.

April 27 - Levelland, TX Municipal Airport. EAA Chapter 19 Fly-In Breakfast, 8:00 AM. Contact John Smith 806/793-7889. If it rains, drive - we'll be there.

MA Y 3-5 - Burlington, NC - EAA Antique/Classic Chapter 3 Annual Spring Fly-In for antique and classic aeroplanes. All types welcome. Alamance County AIrport. Trophies, a major speaker and vintage aviation films. For more Information, contact R. Bottom, Jr., 103 Powhatan Pkwy, Hampton, VA 23661.

MAY 3-5 - Camarillo, CA - EAA Chapter 723 Ith Annual Fly-In. Pan­cake Breakfasts, BBQ dinner dance on Saturday, speakers and more. Camping and hote l accomodations available. Trophies given for best of each type aircraft. For more information, call Larry Hayes, Chairman, 805/496-3750.

May 4-5 - Winchester, V A Regional EAA Spring Fly-In at airport. Trophies for winning showplanes. Pan­cake breakfast Sunday. Concessions and exhibitors. All welcome. Contact

6 FEBRUARY 1991

George Lutz, EAA Chapter 186, 703/256-7873.

May 5 - Rockford, IL EAA Chapter 22 Annual Fly-In Breakfast. Mark Clark's Court esy Aircraft, Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00 AM until Noon. ATIS 126.7. For more information, call Wallace Hunt, 815/332-4708.

May 18-19 - Hampton, NH Air­field . 15th Annual Aviation Flea Market, Fly-In, Drive-In. Camping on airfield; food available. No fees! No rain date. Anything aviation related OK. For info, call 603/964-6749.

May 19 - Benton Harbor, MI. EAA Chapter 585 Fifth Annual Pancake Breakfast. Warbirds, Classics, Homebuilts, Car Show, Static Displays. For information contact AI Todd, 616/429-2929.

May 24-26 - Columbia, SC Annual Palmetto Sport Aviation Memorial Day Fly-In. Columbia Owens Downtown Airport . CUB. Contact Jack Hilton, (Day) 803/699 -023 3, (Evening) 803/782-0088. Housing, contact John Gardener, 803/796-2400.

May 31-Junc 1 - Bartlesville, OK National Biplane Association 5th An­nual Convention and Exposition ­BIPLANE EXPO '91. Free admission for all biplanes and current NBA mem­bers, all others paid admission. For more information, contact Charles W. Harris, 918/742-7311 or Mary Jones, 918/299-2532.

June 2 - DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter 241 will serve its 27th Annual Break­fast, 7:00 AM - Noon, Dekalb-Taylor Municipal Airport. Contact Ed Torbett, 815/895-3888.

June 7-9 - Merced, CA Municipal Airport. 34th Merced West Coast Anti­que Fly-In. For information contact Merced Pilots Association, P. O. Box 2312, Merced, CA 95344, or Mac Duff, 209/383-3975.

June 7-9 - Denton, TX Muncipal Airport . 29th Annual Texas Antique Airplane Association Fly-In. Registra­tion $3.00 donation per person; Registration and meals $20.00 donation per person. Fly-In Chairmen: Mary and Bert Mahon, 1803 Concord Lane, Denton, TX 76205, 817/387-2620.

June 9 - Portsmouth, OH Airshow '91. Warbirds, Antique, Classic aircraft; ultralights, paraplane, rotorcraft. Military fly over and static display . Sky divers, hot air balloons. Hangar party June 8th. Plus more. Hours 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Informa­tion, Don Hulbert, 1012 Ruhlman Ave., Portsmouth, OH 45662, 614/353-3574 or 820-2400.

June 27-30 - Mount Vemon, OH 32nd Annual National Waco Reunion Fly-In. Wynkoop Airport. Make your reservations at the Curtis Motor Hotel 1-800/828-7847 or (in Ohio) 1­800/634-6835. For additional informa­tion, contact the National Waco Club, 700 Hill Av., Hamilton, OH 45015 or call 513-868-0084 .

June 30-July 5 - Jennings, LA. In­ternational Cessna 170 Association 23rd Annual Convention; Holiday Inn on airport. P. O. Box 896, Jennings, OK 70546, 318/824-5280. Arrival Sat., June 30; Departure Sat., July 6. Infor­mation, Ron Massicot (Conv. Chrm.), 318/332-4597.

July 6-7 - Emmetsburg, IA Airport. Tail Dragger Club 3rd Annual Aeronca Champ Fly-In. Annual Flight Breakfast Sunday, July 7. Camping by airplane & free breakfast to pilot & co-pilot. Con­tact Keith Harnden, Box 285, Em­metsburg, IA 50536,712/852-3810.

July 26-Aug. 1 - Oshkosh, WI 39th Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention. Wittman Regional Airport. Contact John Burton, EAA Aviation Cen­ter, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086414/426­4800. For housing information, contact Housing Hotline, 414/235-3007 . •

b" Uenni§ Va.-k§

~ Lib.-aIT/ A.-chive§ Ui.-ectu.-

Curtiss R3C-J Pulitzer Navy Racer.

Bird's eye view of the 1929 National Air Races held at Cleveland.

THE NATIONAL AIR RACES THE GOLDEN AGE

Almost from the beginning of avia­tion, air shows and air races became very popular. For example, the first in­ternational air race, the 1909 event at Reims, France, attracted 300,000 spec­tators. These air races not only created great interest in flight but provided in­centive for manufacturers to build fa ster and better aircraft.

Large scale air racing got its start in the United States in 1919 when newspaper publishers Ralph and Joseph Pulitzer Jr. offered a trophy to promote high speed flight. This was done to encourage tech­nological progress as American aircraft had showed poorly in European competi­tion . Though the series was open to entrants from any nation, it was expected that it would be dominated by American, service-type aircraft.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

Curtiss R-6 Army racer of Lt. Maitland - Finished 2nd in 1922 Pulitzer.

Navy Curtiss Racer was the first to fitted with newly developed streamlined brace wire. Bert Acosta won the 1921 Pulitzer in this racer. Note the barrel shapped Lamblin-type radiators.

Verville-Packard Racer (Converted VCP-l Pursuit) with inset of Lt. Corliss Mosely ­Winner of the First Pulitzer Trophy 1920.

B FEBRUARY 1991

THE FIRST PULITZER The first Pulitzer Trophy Race was

held at Mitchel Field , Long Island on Thanksgiving Day, 1920. There were a staggering 63 entries of which 34 flew the four laps around the 29 mile course. The winner was U. S. Army Captain Mosl ey flyin g a Verville-Packard aircraft at an average speed of 156.5 miles per hour.

The first race was a great success which excited the imagination of American designers and resulted in the American public becoming enthusiastic supporters of aviation. 11le changing attitude was reported in the December 6, 1920 issue of AERIAL AGE under the heading 'The Press on the Pulitzer Race."

"Something and a good deal of the discouragement that has been felt with respect to aviation in this country will be removed , partly by the brilliant achievements of the men who flew over the Long Island course for the Pulitzer trophy, and partly by the size of the crowd that devoted the holiday to watching the contest and the enthusiasm that was displayed.

"That other nati ons for some years past have been g iving more attention than we to the art and practice of av ia­tion, its present great importance and its illimitable potentialities - that has been held, quite properly, something between a humili ation and a disgrace to America. But now it can be hoped that better times are coming - that the United States is to take its fittin g place, at the front, if not in the lead, in an activity which started here and for a while existed nowhere else."

1920 RACE SPEED AERIAL AGE made much of the

winners speed even though it did not break a world's record . - "Captain C. C. Mosley, in his Verville Packard, did not break the world's speed record, but he and certain other contestants showed that aviation is progressing steadi ly.

"Captain Mosley flew at a rate of 178 miles an hour. Thi s is bett er than Lacointe's time in the recent Gordon Bennett race. It does not equal the 193 miles an hour done by De Romanet in France. The significance of the Mosely record lies in the fact that it was made over an extended course - 132 miles - with pylons necessita ting turns while the De Romanet performance was for a mil e over a straight-away course."

Unfo rtunately a U. S. Geodetic Sur­vey of the course showed it to be on ly

Navy-Wright sesquiplane racer built in 1922 as test bed for new 650 hp V-12 Packard engine. The racer was forced down during the 1922 Pulitzer because of engine trouble.

116.8 miles long instead of the 132 miles. A revision of the figures put Mosley 's speed at 156.5 miles per hour.

1921 PULITZER Even though only six entrants par­

ticipated in the second Pulitzer race held at Omaha, AERIAL AGE made much of it in its editorial 'The Pulitzer Trophy Race an American Achievement."

"Bert Acosta wrote international aeronautic history when he drove the Curtiss-Navy Racer to first place in the Pulitzer Trophy Race on November 3 and established a world's speed record of 176.9 miles per hour. It is a record established by a 100 percent American aeroplane, and is a timely answer to some of our foreign critics that America is lagging in aeronautic enterprise."

An editorial in the NEW YORK GLOBE reported - "Yesterday's win­ner did indicate the relative permanence of high speed flying . At the end of the war no machine was credited with a consistent performance as fast as that which took third place yesterday . Today 160 miles an hour is as easy for an aeroplane as 60 miles an hour was ten years ago. High speed, like flying the Atlantic, is inevitable and on the way toward becoming dependable and ordi­nary, though it is doubtful if the thrills of either will be absent even for the sophisticated next generation."

1924 By 1924, the events surrounding the

Pulitzer Trophy Race had grown into ten separate events, six limited to civilian aircraft and four restricted to military aircraft. The two big events, and the fastest, were the Pulitzer Trophy Race and the Mitchell Race both featur­ing military aircraft. The Mitchell com­petition for pursuit ships was sponsored by General Mitchell in honor of his brother who had died in the World War.

HELL'S HALF ACRE e.G. Grey, editor of JANE'S ALL

THE WORLD'S AIRCRAFT, visited Dayton on the occasion of the air races. Included in his report published in the October 22, 1924 issue of THE AEROPLANE was the following about the civil planes that had flown in for the event.

"Thereafter one drifted over to the Civil Aircraft Park for visiting aeroplanes. It is known generally as Hell's Half Acre, presumably because of the hard times suffered by civilian aviators or Gypsy fliers - as joy-riders are called in the states - in their efforts to make a living.

"As a matter of fact there was more pluck and ingenuity and brains dis­played in the classic Half Acre than in the rest of the field put together. There were roughly a hundred machines there,

which had flown in from all parts of the States. One sportsman, named Merrill, had flown 1,000 miles from Dallas, Texas on an old Thomas-Morse to which he had fitted a Curtiss OX engine.

"The chief interest in the Half-Acre was the cleverness with which old war junk has been made into new aircraft and the neatness of some of the new designs. Mr. Laird, of Chicago, had a couple of very neat biplanes."

NATIONAL AIR RACES In 1925 the races held at Mitchel Field,

Long Island, became so varied the name "National Air Races" was used for the first time. The races drew more than 160 entries. There were six civilian and four military events including the last Pulitzer Trophy competition. The Pulitzer was won by Army Lieutenant Cy Bellis in a Curtiss R3C-l racer at a speed of 248 miles per hour setting a new world's record for a closed course. Although the Pulitzer was only held for six years, it saw the winning speed increase by nearly 100 miles per hour.

1929 The 1929 National Air Races were

the first held at Cleveland. For 10 days Cleveland was the center of the world of flying. It was the beginning of a decade long string ofevents that became one of the most colorful periods in the history of aviation. The first event

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Curtiss Navy R2C-1 racer of 1923 with Lt. Harold Brow.

Verville Racer (VCP-R) in its tina I configuration as flown in the 1922 Pulitzer by Lt. Mosley.

broke all previous attendance records with over a half-million paid admis­sions. There were several cross­country races to Cleveland and 27 closed course events.

This first appearance at Cleveland also saw the forerunners of two classic events of air racing; the non-stop race from Los Angeles, which became the Bendix Race; and the closed course race for unlimited aircraft which became the Thompson Trophy.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST SHOW

This was how Cy Caldwell referred to the 1929 races in his editorial in the October, 1929 issue of AERO DIGEST.

"'The World's Greatest Show' was what the late P. T. Barnum called the Barnum and Bailey Circus, but if he could have seen the 1929 National Air Races he'd have had to run his circus in second place. In the ten days of the races 450,000 people either paid the

10 FEBRUARY 1991

$450,000 gate, or else bothered Cliff Henderson for a pass.

"The number of hot dogs consumed, including those that had been hot but had cooled off, if laid end to end would reach from Cleveland to Boston, though I don't know why even a hot dog would want to go to Boston. And the energy generated by the escaping gas from 2,568,654 opened pop bottles, if collected in a bomb and exploded in Washington, would be enough to blow the entire U. S. Senate as far as Atlanta, Georgia."

The prize totals for the first Cleveland Air Races amounted to over $78,000. The largest single prize was for the longest of the cross-country races - the race from Los Angeles to Cleveland ­won by Henry Brown in a Lockheed Air Express at an average of 156 mph. Thus nine years after the first Pulitzer race a four passenger commercial transport was able to match the speed of a special built racer. This Air Express was later sold to the Gilmore Oil Company and became famous as Roscoe Turner's THE GILMORE LION.

The Cleveland Races also saw the running of the first Women's Air Derby. In 1929 this was a cross-country race from Santa Monica to Cleveland which was completed by nine female pilots and won by Louise Thaden in a Whirlwind powered Travel Air.

To the crowds the greatest excite­ment was the closed course pylon races of which 26 were scheduled. Included were races for National Guard observa­tion planes, races for OX-5 and Liberty engines and a race for 275 cubic inch engines. The OX-5 race included Art Chester and Steve Wittman, who were to playa major role in the development of Formula One racing almost two decades later.

On the final day of the 1929 races the only unlimited displacement free-for­all race was held. This race saw civilian entries pitted against the military. The surprise of the event was the Travel Air "Mystery Ship" racer flown by Doug Davis.

There were 11 entries in the race, but the competition was expected to lie be­tween the two front line military pur­suits. This was also the first time since 1925 that the two services would fly against each other. One of the ships was a Curtiss P-3A of Army Lieutenant R. G. Breene and the other a Navy Hawk flown by Lt. Commander 1. 1. Clark.

To the surprise of the spectators Doug Davis' racer was out in front from the beginning and completed the 50 mile course at an average speed of 194.9 miles per hour. This speed included having to go back and go around a pylon he missed on the second lap. For the first time in history a civilian machine beat a military pursuit ship in an all out race.

As reported in the October, 1929 AERO DIGEST: "The 'mystery' Travel Air monoplane was undoubtedly the most outstanding development among racing planes. As long as the National Air Races result in the intro­duction of such advanced designs, they will remain the most important event in the aeronautical calendar. Doug Davis easily detected everything the Army and Navy could offer, and demonstrated a degree of maneuverability for his craft that does not seem to be matched by either of the military services."

For the next ten years backyard mechanics and their custom built racers would dominate high speed racing. The "Golden Age of Air Racing" had begun . •

ToOsh sh in 58 ye Part I

Ken and the Eaglet prepare tor his adven­This story really begins several years by Ken Morris ture. He says the Eaglet won't fly without

ago. Since my dad's purchase of the leather.(EAA 286755, Ale 11423)Eaglet in 1975, it has flown almost daily with the exception of a restoration in 1976 and a recover in 1984. The 35 hp Szekely engine popped and sputtered along without much trauma, only the normal hammer taps and tweaks neces­sary to everyday Eagleting.

Anyway, all those miles and hours were finally taking their toll on old "Zeke," and dad decided that it was time for a change. Given the Szekely's somewhat suspicious reputation, 14 years of semi-dependable service is quite honorable.

So one beautiful sunset we quietly lowered the windsock and played taps on a piece of 4130 steel tubing as we removed that engineering marvel from the nose of the Eagle for overhaul.

At this point, perhaps a word about the behind the scenes research that went on in the Szekely "skunk works," in Holland, Michigan would be in order.

Their first 3 cylinder radial design had an "L" head, much like your Briggs & Stratton lawn mower (I don't think they copied it), but trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the mid­

night oil was burning in Holland. Before long a more efficient overhead valve was designed. The little engine produced a throbbing five more ponies! It was this 35 hp engine that powered the Eaglet trouble free (?) for those 14 years. But even the 35 hp version got interesting on a hot day with two "well rounded" people.

One hot day with the 35 hp engine, my dad was letting a neighbor give him a ride . After takeoff the neighbor asked when it would start climbing.

"November" was the answer. But the Szekely folks weren't satis­

fied with only five more horsepower; someone figured out that if they shor­tened the cylinder barrel to increase the compression, they would increase the horsepower even more to a blistering 45 hp.

Well, they did, and it did, but it was asking alot of only 4 cylinder bolts and before long it began raining cylinders

over Holland. The fix was one that old Rube and Goldberg would have been truly proud of. They put a cable around the cylinders with a turnbuckle to tighten and help relieve the pressure on the cylinder flanges. (The deluxe ver­sion used streamlined straps.)

Pat Packard, our retired Director of Exhibits, and an Eaglet pilot from the 1930's, told me a different reason the for the cable - it seems that the metal in the cylinders would expand at different rates, and the slI/all .\pacers that were inserted in the valve train at the head would then work their way out, causing the engine to drop in RPM to just above idle. The cahle would hold things together just enough to keep this from happening, and the "Zeke" would just chug happily along. - HGF

Due to the 35 hp performance, or lack thereof, my dad decided to upgrade to the 45 hp model. The 45 hp engine was built and a new propeller was added.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Shortly before Oshkosh '88, it was ready.

After sufficient ground run the first takeoff was made. First a right climbing 270, followed by a deafening silence, followed by an uneventful landing (on the runway), followed by the long tow back to the drawing board. After the problems were corrected, another takeoff was made, followed by a climb­ing right 270, followed by another deafening silence, followed by a few choice words, followed by another un­eventful landing (again on the runway), followed by another long to back to the drawing board.

With Oshkosh just around the VOR and the Eaglet's new engine somewhat less than dependable, the second Osh­kosh adventure was delayed until 1989. I did fly it to Oshkosh in 1986, but that's another story.

During the ensuing year the new old "Zeke" redeemed itself and improved its reputation.

Expectations were made and the Eaglet sat quietly in its hangar waiting for all of the excitement at Oshkosh '89.

While all of this excitement was going on in Ft. Worth, my wife Lor­raine and I were in Memphis trying to make a Cessna 140 out of lots of little pieces, none of which resembled an airplane. Bear with me, we're just about to the part of the story where it takes off, so to speak.

Finally on the 4th ofJuly, the 140 was ferried to Ft. Worth for its annual and the stage was set for our flight. The plan was to fly up together - Lorraine flying our "new" 140 and I in the Eaglet. Keeping it in the family, Carol, my step­mother, flew her beautiful 140, and my dad traveled in the lap of luxury in his 53 model Bonanza, the most modern of the convoy.

Then on July 19th, 1989, tragedy struck when a United Airlines DC-I0 crashed at Sioux City, Iowa. In spite of the crew's heroic efforts in conditions that we as pilots fear most, loss of con­trol, many of the people were killed. Among them was a good friend.

Jerry Kennedy was an offduty United Second Officer returning home from DC-lO ground school. He leaves his wife, Janice, four children, his parents

12 FEBRUARY 1991

Full "I Follow Railroads" instruments package. Where's the compass? Back in Fort Worth. Oops!

and two sisters. We will all miss him very much .

Because of this accident, our route of flight was modified slightly to attend the funeral services in central Illinois.

Finally on Sunday, July 23rd, I ar­rived in Ft. Worth via airline and plan­ning began in earnest.

Having charted this territory in 1986 with planning so meticulous that NASA would have been speachless, I had a hard time getting too involved with it. (The first time we had WAC charts, sectional charts, road maps, jet stream charts, radar summery, sequence and forecasts . We even had a tidal chart for Galveston.)

This time I decided to "head that-a­way" and throw a five gallon gas can in the back seat.

Monday, July 24th dawned bright with very little wind. That is somewhat important in the Eaglet because it lacks brakes. It does have a tail skid, but in much wind at all it likes to point into it , whether or not that is the desired direc­tion of travel , and without brakes it might come to a stop just after you really needed to.

With all the necessities aboard : gas can, grease gun (for the exposed rocker arms), oil can (for the exposed valves), assorted tools, a can of Marvel Mystery Oil to mix with the gas and a set of tie downs (hopefully not to be used until Oshkosh), I was ready to go.

Lorraine and the 140 "just lacked fini shing up," so she and my son Jason would be se ve ral ho urs lat e r th an plann ed . Addin g up th e ho urs o f daylight and the distance to the first night stop in Springfield, Missouri, I had to get going.

A couple of tactica l errors were made before the trip even began. First of all, I remembered from the las t time that map folding was not a lot of fun in a Szekely swept 60 mph gale. So when asked which charts I wanted (sectional or WAC) , I picked the WAC chCl rts because smalle r print equal s less fold ­ing. It also means less detail. The second error was forgett i ng to i nsta \I the compass.

I guess nobody at American Eagle ever dreamed that anyone would get very far from their home field , because they did not install a compass l We have one that we use when a cross­country is planned, but in this case it was not planned very well.

After greas ing the rocker arms, oil ing the va lve stems, turning on the o il and generally getting my nerve up, it was high noon and I was ready to go.

As I taxied to the end of the runway, I realized that I had not fl own the Eagl et with its new engine and was looking foward to it. After chec king both mngs during the taxi (there is no carb heat), I applied full power and bcgnn the trip

that would span four days and 14 hours of flying.

With the new engine and prop it leapt into the air and climbed like a homesick angel. Well, sort of. It did climb well enough that I decided to climb up high and take advantage of the associated true airspeed increase and any prevail­ing southwest wind that might be there. (Every little bit helps). I climbed and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and after half an hour, I was all the way to 5500 feet, give or take a few. The an­tique altimeter has a single needle with 200 foot increments about an eighth of an inch apart.

After about 30 minutes at altitude, plus the 30 minutes to climb there, I decided to descend for two reasons. First, I was just on top of a very thin scallered layer and from the shadows I could see that I had a head wind. Second, even though I was wearing a jacket and long sleeves, I was freezing my (censored). I descended until the temperature was just right, even though it was a little bit choppy, but my ground speed was still a respectable 74 mph.

Even without a compass I remarkably found my way to Durant, Oklahoma, my first stop. After casing the airport, I saw some gas pumps and a place to land where I could roll right up to them, saving wear and tear on the tail skid. It was a neat plan; too bad it didn't work.

It was a flight school that couldn't sell their fuel. I had to taxi to the other end of the field (about 87 miles) to the FBO. As I taxied up to the pumps, I could smell hot steel from the tail skid. One leg into the trip and the tail skid was wearing out fast.

After fueling, I left Durant from a more normal altitude of about 500 feet.

My wife had drawn a line on the WAC chart for me since she was plan­ning her route anyway, and all I had to do was follow it, ad-libbing fuel stops along the way. So 30 minutes or so after leaving Durant, I pulled out the chart to see where I was and relieve boredom, a nice change in the Eaglet since it's sel­dom boring.

The city of Stigler, Oklahoma got the nod and a course correction was made. After another hour, as if by magic, Stigler appeared beside "Zeke's" num­ber one cylinder. The bad news was that

..,.:....

140 Captain lorraine Morris and her father clean up about 800 miles worth of dirt and grime in preparation for the final leg of the trip.

when I got there, I was alone. The good news was that I had five gallons of gas behind me. So I emptied my five gal­lons of gas into the tank, added Marvel Mystery Oil, oiled the valves, then con­tinued my quest. Twenty minutes away,just over the Robert S. Kerr reser­voir was Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

Entering a left base and landing, I again discovered that I was alone . There was a sign in the window that the FBO was out of business and that anyone wanting fuel should call the police. I was not a happy camper; the afternoon was in full swing while I waited for fuel, but it all worked out. I filled the fuel tank and half filled the five gallon "aux" tank. I learned on the first leg of the trip that with all the tools and gas in the back seat and the extra power up front, it was a little bit tail heavy. With no elevator trim it gets heavy holding the stick forward . So eliminating some weight from there helped.

After leaving Salisaw, things began to get interesting. Up until now all the farmers got together and kept their fields more or less lined up with the section lines. (Not as good as Illinois, but they're working on it.)

From Sallisaw to Springfield, Mis­souri, there wasn't much to work with. I started off with a good look at Sallisaw's north/south runway and kept it in view while watching the angle of the sun. Did I say sun? As the day grew, so did the cumulo-bumpus clouds

to block out the sun and totally confuse the aviator. There I was over trees with no section lines to follow, no sun to check direction, a WAC chart that showed a lot of green but not much else, and no compass!

As if that wasn't enough, there were rain showers all over the place that I had to deviate around. After all of this I was quite bewildered, and finding Siloam Springs (on my next stop) took a tone of urgency. I had plenty of gas, but some of it required a landing to get to, and from where I sat I needed to be a full grown eagle to land in these trees.

Then it started to rain . At first I thought the old Szekely might object (not good), or refuse (worse), but it just kept popping a long. As a matter of fact , the oil temperature went clown and oil pressure went up. The windshield worked well. The water rolled up the screen and dropped in my lap, leaving onlookers wondering what I'd been up to. With visibility reduced due to rain, the only good news was that I couldn't see how far off course I probably was!

With the gas gauge bouncing near the bottom, I looked around in the back seat to see my "aux" tank with fuel in it, and was reminded about the old WWII story of the two fighters trying to get back to their carrier deck. With one plane nea r­ly out of gas and voicing his concerns to his wing man, the wing man said, "Stick with me; I've got plenty." I had plenty too.

Continued next month .•

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

by Norm Petersen

With everything carefully loaded, Piper 3-4A Cub Coupe, NC24681, SIN 4-683, gets ready for the 102 mile trip to its new home in Marshallville, Ohio. Last flown in 1966, the Continental 65 hp powered J-4A had been owned for 49 years by one owner prior to being purchased by John Airulla (EAA 356591, AIC 15587) of Mar­shallville, Ohio. John reports Ihe 1939 Cub Coupe was last covered in 1948 by the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics for $412. It was purchased with skis, nav lites and original " up-exhaust" .

Sporting a blue fuselage and silver wings is this very nicely restored 1948 Stampe SV-4B, registered OY-DBC, SIN 1204, being taxied by its owner, Povl Toft of Ringkobing, Denmark. Powered with a 130 hp DeHaviliand Gypsy Major en­gine, the Stampe was one of a group buill for the Belgian Air Force as trainer aircraft. Povl Toft, who comes from an enlire family of pilots and rebuilders headed by his father Jens Toft (Toft Air Force) of Lem, Denmark, stands by his pride and joy. Note the detailed workmanship on this (pretty much) wooden biplane which has fine aerobatic capabilities.

14 FEBRUARY 1991

by Norm Petersen

With its P& W R-985 engines at full till, Beech 0-18-S, C-FCSN, SIN CA-16, mounted on Edo 56-7850 floats, lifts off the waler in Brilish Columbia. Note cabin slairway on left floal and large ventral fin used with floals 10 increase fin area.

Typical of the beautiful scenery in British Columbia where Vancouver Island Air lid. does ils flying . One of Iheir OeHavilland Beavers flying in loose formation with one of Iheir Cessna 185 Skywagons on CAP 3000 floals.

From the beautiful coastal area of British Columbia come these photos of working seaplanes sent in by Larry Langford, General Manager of Van­couver Island Air Ltd., Campbell River, B.C. This company operates three Cessna 185, three DeHavilland Beaver and a twin Beech D-18-S, all on floats and serving 200 coastal locations in British Columbia.

Larry went on to explain how the firm spent seven months restoring their Beech D-18-S and are well pleased with the result. Registered C-FCSN, the twin Beech was built in 1953 and served with the Canadian Air Force until sold in

1967 and put on floats CEdo 56-7850) by a tourist operator in Ontario.

Over 450 lbs. was removed during the extensive overhaul ending up with an empty weight on floats of 6,080 lbs., giving a useful load of 2,645 lbs. at 8725 Ibs. gross. To Larry's knowledge, this is the only 10-place Beech on fl oats in operation to date. Besides getting off the water as fast as their best Beaver, the twin Beech will cruise at 155 mph at gross.

The only aircraft with comparable performance is a Cessna Caravan on floats and its operating cost is much higher as well as initial price ­$1,000,000 for the Caravan versus

$175,000 for a totally restored Beech. As Larry says, "We think we have a good deal - in spite of using 1930's technology! "

Present plans call for converting another twin Beech to floats this winter so the second twin can be put on the line next spring. As one observer of Van­couver Island Air remarked, "You are not in the ai rline business, you are in the ANTIQUE ai rcraft restora tion busi­ness!"

Our thanks go out to Vancouver Is­land Air Ltd. and Larry Langford for being kind enough to send us the beauti­ful photos featured in this column .•

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

By H.G. Frautschy

The post war civilian boom had al­ready gone bust when the word came down to the engineering staff at Aeronca in Middletown, Ohio. Seek­ing to broaden their marketing base in a quickly shrinking market, management was looking for some­thing to help them ride out the economic storm that post-war civilian aviation had become. The mandate given to the staffsounded something like this . . .

"Design a four-place that we can put into production quickly, with lots of room inside and with good perfor­mance. Oh, and one more thing. You can only use the raw materials we already have on hand for the bulk of the airplane. I don't want you to go out and buy anything like tubing, sheet metal and the like."

Photos by Jim Kocpnick

the basic layout and design, Vince Berinati the stress and aerodynamics, and Ha rry Zeisloft engineered the powerplant installation. They designed a four-place fuselage made out of steel tube, steel tube tai l surfaces, and all metal wings braced with a single aluminum strut. All of the materials possible came from the stock on hand, right down to the glovebox covers from the Chief. When each Sedan, as the new craft was called, was rolled out into the Ohio sunshine only a few of the parts had to be bought from outside sources before the plane could be delivered. Most notable among these were the en­gine, a Continental C-145, and the Con­so lidair wheel pants . Even the instrument package was gleaned as much as possible from shelf stock. What the engineers didn't know was that their creation would someday be­

many pilots in the past, and Dick Fol­som of Nokomis, Florida is no excep­tion. Bitten early by the Aeronca bug, Dick learned to fl y in a Champ on fl oats on Moosehead Lake in Maine, and would then transfer to skis when winter arrived and the water became "stiff' . In 1952 he enlisted in the service as an infantryman. He then reen li sted as a Warrant Officer, assigned to helicop­ters. Dick wasn't too fond of the chop­pers, though, and along with two others from his class he was allowed to trans i­tion to Liaison aircraft. He spent the remainder of his military career as a senior instructor, flying L-20s and L­19s.

While he was in the service, Dick earned a degree in geology. After the service, he returned to the Moosehead Lake area, and went to work as practicing geologist. On the weekends he would fly

This wouldn't be the first four-place come one the favorite mounts for bush as a bush pilot in the Maine wilderness. that the crew at Aeronca had designed, pilots and sportsmen alike. Its roomy He moved a couple of times within the but the Model 14 Chum, a low wing cabin and load carrying capabi lity have northeast. He sold his marine construction design drawn up at the end of the war made it handy for hauling hunters, business and "reti red" 10 Florida, where had not reached the production stage. fishermen or fami lies for almost 45 he now has his second marine construc­With notes on the contents of the raw years. tion business. Over the years he was ac­materials bin, the engineers sat down at The other airplane with a forward tively flying, Dick had owned three their drafting boards. George Owl did swept fin has captured the fancy of Champs, a Chief and a Super Cub.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

In keeping with the "keep it simple" school of thought, the fue l gauges for the wing­mounted tanks are graduated tubes.

Dick has always been interested in older airplanes, and after having been away from flying for a number of years, he decided he needed a diversion. He had already owned each of the post-war Aeroncas, so he went looking for an Aeronca Sedan, the last airplane type produced by the Middletown, Ohio manufacturer. His search lasted two years, until he talked to a man in Topeka, Kansas. After talking with the gentleman a couple of times on the phone, Dick bought the Sedan sight un­seen in July , 1980.

November of that year saw Dick picking up his prize and winging his way back east. All those hours spent navigating by pilotage over the Maine wilderness helped him bring the Sedan

Advertised in Aeronca sales brochures as "a full size four place airplane engineered for everyday people", the Sedan has a large comfortable cabin, with access thru a large door on the right side. Dick's Sedan features an original color scheme, and, for added safety, he has added shoulder harnesses.

Carefully restored to almost original configuration, the cockpit of the Sedan shows off its spacious cabin width , and the great visibility out the large windshield. The only major difference between 1950's and now? The 6" radio stack on the lett side of the panel.

home through low weather in the St. Louis area, with no radios and a com­pass that was balky. Thanksgiving din­ner that year consisted of a candy bar somewhere over New York State, with his final stop that night at his home in New Hampshire.

With the fabric so bad that he knew it would never pass another annual, Dick disassembled the four-placer and stored it in his shop. For the next three years he couldn't get near his project, so he began to look for someone to restore the project. After a few fits and starts, the Sedan was passed along to Joe Hindall and his crew in Englewood, Florida. They started on the project in October, 1989, and completed it in April, just prior to Sun'n Fun '90. The Sedan's maiden flight was to the fly-in! A last minute oil leak was fixed at the begin­ning of the week, and then it was off to Lakeland for the Aeronca Sedan and its proud new owner.

The airplane is finished with the Stits process, in the original factory color scheme. During the time spent before and during the actual restoration, many details about the plane were researched, including the replacement of the "hogs­hair" floor mat. Phone call after phone call were made in an effort to find the original manufacturer. They finally found out that the original maker had passed away, but one of his relatives also had a textile business, and that they both used to supply Aeronca. They were then able to come very close to match­ing the original. The interior still has that warm, spacious feeling that the Sedan was famous for when it was being touted as the "family four-seater". The results speak for itself.

Many of the lessons learned while producing the Champ and the Chief

A happy Dick Folsom with his latest Aeronca. The forward leon of the rudder hinge line has always been a d istinctive trademark of the Sedan.

were put into practice when the en­gineers sat down to the drawing board. The Champ had always enjoyed great visibility from inside the cabin, and the Sedan featured the same general layout, with the added bonus of a windshield that went clear back to the front spar carry-thru. Many planes, including the J-3 Cub, have similar arrangements, but the Sedan's spar is set so far back, it al mos t gives the appearance of a skylight above your head'

Dick gives Joe Hindall all of the credit for getting his Sedan as close to original as he could. Joe did all the research on the project and put a lot of time in ferreting out the details. Dick also wanted a sa fe airplane, and to that end you will see the shoulder harnesses he has added. He also installed modem electronics, including a loran, transponder with encoder and a nav/com.

Dick's Sedan garnered an "Outstand­ing Aircraft" award at Sun 'n Fun '90, and it's easy to see why - the nice res­toration by Joe Hindall and his crew along with the pleasing lines of the Sedan combined to make it easy on the judge's eye. The folks at Middletown would be proud! .

As c lean as the rest of the restoration, the installation of the C-14S Continental speaks of the work done by Joe Hindall and his crew.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

Call her the Lincoln or Lincoln-Page, by either name she was known as a well balanced trainer suitable for both primary and secondary stages of flight instruction. By the time the PT-K (the "PT' rio' stood for "Page Trainer") was produced, the "Page" in Lincoln-Page had been dropped from the company name, but the aviation community was much slower in accommodating the name change. Most people still called the company's product a Lincoln-Page, a habit for some that still persists to this day. The Lincoln PT-K model was the next development of the Lincoln-Page PT, designed specifically as a flight training or low cost sport flying airplane. "Low cost" came at what must have been a pretty penny in 1929, for the airplanes list price at the factory field, according to Joseph Juptner 's "U.S. Civil Aircraft", was $4175, later lowered to $3865.

The PT-K was considered a well designed airplane from an aerodynamic standpoint in 1929, taking into account the mannerisms of a student pilot. The 20 FEBRUARY 1991

by H.G. Frautschy

excessive speed to bring it around." The gross weight change refers to

~------------------2~7'~'----------------------~ the PT-K's predecessor, the Lincoln-Page PT, which had a gross weight of 1968 pounds com­pared to the PT -K' s grossing ou t at 1767.

fuselage has a long moment arm for the tail surfaces, meant to desensitize the pitching and bucking of a nervous stu­dent pilot as he worked his way through the curriculum. In Joseph Juptner's description in Volume 3 of his seri es "U.S. Civil Aircraft", he writes " ... the amiable and gentle PT-K was a stable craft and was quite forgiving in nature. In other words, the Lincoln PT-K was not too fussy and wouldn't get all upset due to a little pilot error. Performance with the added power and lowered gross weight was somewhat improved over the earlier PT and it was no exceptional trick for the PT-K to perform a well­rounded loop from level flight ; there was really no need to dive and gain

The PT-K also boasted 10 additional hors e­power with its 100 hp Kinner K5, instead of the PT's 90 hp Curtiss

OX-5. On that 100 hp, the PT-K could do 104 mph as a maximum speed, but normally cruised at 85 mph.

The structure of the PT series proved to be quite rugged, and some la ter models of the trainer had a different landing gear configuration than the original design, a split axle with shock­absorbing bungee cord. The later design featured a stiff-legged rigid gear, coupled with low pressure airwheels. The low pressure airwheels had more than enough "give" in the sidewall so that no further shock absorption was needed.

The PT-K was available with a few options, including a metal propeller, a lightly framed fully enclosed canopy for

cold weather flying, navigation lights, and engine starter. One other item available as an option were Bloxham "Safety Sticks". This option allowed the instructor to disengage the students control stick, in case he "froze". Joe Juptner said it best in his description ­"Back in the old'Jenny' days, a konk on the head with a fire extinguisher bottle accomplished the same purpose, but this was frowned upon and considered a rather primitive method at this par­ticular time." We have very little infor­mation on the Bloxham Aero Supply Company, except for this small ad that ran in a 1929 issue of Aero Digest.

Bloxham Aero Supply Co. Manufacturers of

BLOXHAM SAFETY STICXS, HELMETS, SAFETY BELTS Df-fliers, diptributorlt. l\' rlte for cntalog of these reol money makeflJ,

3011 South Wabash Aveaue Cblcago

The normal color scheme for the PT­K was a medium blue fuselage with an orange stripe, and orange or orange-yel­low wings . EAA's PT-K sports a medium blue fuselage, wi th a silver stripe and silver wings and tail surfaces.

Flying the Lincoln PT-K by Norm Petersen

There are few items in this world that will deflate your ego faster than a botched landing in front of a crowd ­you know the kind - two, three or four bounces with a few wild careens thrown in. In like manner, a perfect, greased landing on all three points can make your day. Fortunately for me, the EAA Foundation's Lincoln PT-K, NC275N, SIN 602, powered with a 100 hp five­cylinder Kinner K5 of 372 cubic inches, has some fine characteristics to help the novice make the "greasers".

When seated in the rear cockpit (where all solo work is flown from), one soon notices the rather large amount of room with ample sized controls. The brakes are operated by heel application and are very effective. A large rudder at the end of a long fuselage gives all kinds of directional control. Soft airwheels, in connection with bungee cord landing gear struts, gives a nice, firm ride on the ground with little or no wallow. The main point to remember is the "flat" attitude of the Lincoln on the ground. One has to concentrate on land­ing in a "flat" attitude, lest the tailwheel arrive on deck first, followed by a very pronounced "thump" as the mains hit hard.

With EAA Convention photographer Donna Bushman in the front cockpit, Norm Petersen c limbs out to the southeast in the linc oln PT-K. the Kinner K5 at full bore.

In typical radial engine sty le, one soon leams to operate at much slower rpm's than a typical opposed engine. Flat out on takeoff and climb is 1800 rpm while normal cruise is 1500 rpm. The Kinner has a good, solid, vibratory feel as it chugs along, albeit with lots of racket. Those single straight pipes real­ly cackle from each cylinder and ear plugs are a necessity if you want to

converse with anyone the next day! One gets the feeling from the cockpit during run-up that the engine isn't going fast er - only louder!

Perhaps the most unusual difference is the throttle, which travels in an under­handed arc, being pivoted at the top. The knob is over 2 inches in diameter and makes a noticeable low swing during its travel - the only throttle I have operated that didn't arc over the top, except possibly a Pietenpol or two.

Featuring 297 square feet of wing area, the Lincoln flies like a lightly loaded airplane allowing slow landing speeds. The Goettingen 436 airfoil is quite forgiving and transmits a feel through the airframe. One can easily

_/

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -1-"-'-'--......

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

/

-~~ 1

tell the airspeed without looking ~t the instrument panel - it telegraphs the speed - so essential to "seat-of-the­pants" flying . Once you get used to the larger stick movements required to fly the airplane, especially at low airspeeds, you soon realize the original designers knew what they were doing.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Photo of N275N taken in 1962 at OHumwa, Iowa at the AAA Fly-In. Ironically, the Spartan C-3 next to the Lincoln flew formation with us at Pioneer Airport all summer (1990) in the capable hands of its owner, Ed Wegner, Plymouth, WI.

An enthusiast from the word "Go", the late Norm Sten (EAA 7735), who restored and donated Lincoln PT-K, N275N to the EAA Aviation Foundation .

One advantage I i"--------------.3.l'j.--------------1"1 world ." In another have is se ni o rity. paragraph, Norm

Th e Li ncol n PT-K I-::====:;:::;;======~;:::;~=:;;~=======;~===:::::;, says, "I am happy inwas built in Novem- C the fact that others ber of 1930, while I will have the was bom in July of pl easure of fIying 1930! That gives me the airplane, for it

four months of I certainly does give seniority - which .2' one the sensation of de mands a little having 'slipped the respect. (I do wish I surly bonds' ." were in as good Following in such shape as the Lincoln • famous footsteps after all these years.) makes one humble I am not a stranger to the machine. In occasions, the sound of the Kinner K5 indeed, and makes the opportunity to fly my personal collection of slides are bringing music to the ears. the Lincoln PT-K at Pioneer Airport a photos of this very airplane taken in Norm Sten enjoyed open cockpit rare treat. Besides, after three summers 1962 at Ottumwa, Iowa during the AAA flying and you can be sure the restoration of rounding the pattem at Pioneer, the Fly-In. In the mid-sixties, it was a treat of NC275N came from the heart. In one "old girl" and I have kind of an under-to see Norm Sten bring the Lincoln into of his letters to Paul Poberezny, prior to standing - we will take care of each a Minnesota fly-in breakfast on several donating the Lincoln, he said, "It is soon other to the best of our abilities,

that time of year There are only eight Lincoln PT when the weather aircraft remaining on the U.S. Register, smells just right for of which only two are Kinner powered, open cockpit soEAA's Lincoln PT-K is one rare bird. flying . I have flown To hear the staccato bark of a K5 Kinner open jobs when and see the graceful Lincoln take to the temperatures were air, better plan on a weekend at Pioneer below zero, and on Airport in Oshkosh this summer. days when the Pioneer Airport at the EAA Air Ad-vegetation wilted vellture Museum begins operation on in the hea t , but the 1st weekend in May and continues these early days of (weather permitting, of course!) spring always through the summer a ndfall, withflying seemed to have an ending on the 1st weekend in October. extra measure of Full size aircraft flying is suspended satisfaction. On during two contests at that time - a Kite these day s, one flying contest the weekend of May 4th, could fly, sniff the and a Giant Scale RIC model contest the air and feel that all weekend ofSeptember 22. We lookfor­was right with the ward to seeing you there!.

22 FEBRUARY 1991

N e 7 5 N

, Braced wittLMre_amltned_-'tYires, the large tail surfaces of the lincoln are sturdy and effective.

Having just passed Its 60th birthday in November 1990, Uncoln PJ-K, N275N, enjoys the splendor of EM's Pioneer Airport as a fitting reminder to its ,,--_~ restorer, Norm sten of Osseo, Minnesota.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

The nose cowl features five openings that can be shuttered down from the cockpit in cold weather. Note the ground adjustable metal prop.

I~T~I2~§TI~f3 ,"~,"Ij~12

by Gene Chase (EAA 10522, AIC 300)

JAMES W. "JIM" BARTON Jim Barton is one of those quiet-kind­

of-men whose manner belies the fact that he has a long and colorful aviation career. Jim's experiences could easily fill a book and the few highlighted here will be only the proverbial "tip of the iceberg."

Jim was born in 1920 in Danville, Illinois and grew up in that area. His father, James E. Barton, had natural mechanical abilities and in 1911 at age 13 was working in an auto electrical

24 FEBRUARY 1991

shop which manufactured batteries and was a dealership for Baker electric autos. He became well-schooled in auto electrics and when World War I broke out he joined the Army and was assigned to the Air Service. His mechanical aptitude was soon recog­nized and he was sent to Ray's Auto School in Kansas City where he went through an aircraft engine mechanics course. From there he was sent to the Army's mechanics school at Kelly Field

in San Antonio, Texas where he got more experience and at 18 was made an instructor.

After his stint in the Army Air Ser­vice, Mr. Barton returned to Danville where he opened his own auto electrical shop. He also put his mechanical genius to work installing and fine tuning auto and aircraft engines in high speed racing

(left) 1941 - A young Jim Barton pauses for a moment next to a Fairchild PT-19 at the Parks Air College facility in Sikeston, MO.

boats owned by wealthy local businessmen.

Those were exciting times for Mr. Barton's young son, Jim, who when not in school was at his father's side observ­ing and learning. Jim still recalls the penetrating sound of one of the big boats running 60 mph with the 300 hp Hisso engine running many rpm's over the normal rate of 1750.

Jim's first encounter with aircraft was when he was allowed to sit in the cock­pits of a Dehavilland DH-4, Spad, Thomas Morse Scout and Curtiss Jenny which were sitting behind the Allith­Prouty Foundry in Danville. He was only four years old and couldn't see out of the cockpits but he vividly recalls the experience.

In the late 1920s some of the boat owners joined with other well-to-do businessmen and purchased an OX-5 powered Waco 10, NC5864, and formed a flying club. It was only natural they would enlist the elder Bar­ton to maintain the club plane with his compensation being free membership and flying time. Now young Jim was really in "hog heaven" (his term) with his great interest in everything mechani­cal, especially flying machines. He spent every waking moment at the air­port when not in school or at home building model planes.

In 1929 after the infamous stock market crash the club members could no longer afford the luxury of aircraft ownership and the group disbanded. Because Mr. Barton had been too busy making a living for his family, he hadn't flown all the time due him, so the 15 club members gave him the plane in payment of the debt. Overnight Mr. Barton found himself not only the sole owner of the Waco 10 but also the han­gar, the corporate books and shares of stock (Jim now has these), a pot-bellied stove, a spare propeller and the respon­sibility of running the airport.

The following years were lean ones for nearly everyone, especially those trying to earn a Jiving in aviation. One day in 1931 the local newspaper had something positive to write about when they ran a photo ofa brand new Ryan B-1, C7206, SIN 153 and proclaimed that busi­ness was booming at the airport now that two planes were based at the FBO.

In 1932 Mr. Barton built extensions to the rudder bar in the Waco and began teaching his 12-year old son to fly. Jim's dad was a stickler for adhering to regulations and even though young Jim was ready to solo long before his 16th birthday, his dad made him wait until he was legal.

In the meantime Jim accumulated dual time in the Waco and a Taylor E-2 Cub, NC15392. Mr. Barton was a Cub dealer and this plane was his demonstrator. Jim soloed the Cub in 1936 and at the time was heralded as the "youngest pilot in Illinois." By the time he got his private certificate in 1937 he had also logged time in a Davis V-3, NC641 N, and an A vro Avian, NC525K.

Jim's flying ability was recognized by other pilots in the area and they fre­quently made their planes available for him to fly , including an OX-5 Curtiss Robin, OX-5 Command-A ire , J-5 Travel Air, Meyers OTW, Buhl "Bull Pup," Waco RNF, etc. But Jim never accepted these kind offers until after his dad gave him a proper checkout in each

A young boys dream! After his father colected him from school and said the words that all boys like to hear - .. I want to show you something", 9 year old Jim gets to stand on the left wing of a brand new Curtiss P1 D of the White Owl Squad rom based at Selfridge Field, II was being ferried by family friend, George Slater. Also on the field that day were a Waco 10 (center) and J-5 Monocoach (right) built by Monocoupe.

new type. This was at the insistance of Mr. Barton, a strict disciplinarian for whom Jim had the utmost respect.

During the twenties and thirties many barnstorme rs and aviation notabl es stopped at the Danville Airport , and the Barton home was always a welcome place to get a bite to ea t and spend the night. Young Jim enjoyed li stening in on many hangar flying sessions involv­ing his dad , Harold Johnson , Ken Hunter, Sy Gates, Freddy Lund, Mike Murphy, Jim and Mary Hai z lip , Clarence Chamberlain, Jimmy Doolit­

tie, to name a few. In addition to hosting the barnstomers, Jim's mother, Dolly, was involved in numerous "rib-stitch­ing bees". The sewing machine has been donated by Jim to the EAA Air Adventure Museum, and is on display in one of the Homebuilder's exhibits.

Among the more impressive planes temporarily based at the Danville Air­port while be ing barnstormed in the area during the mid-1930s were two Curtiss Condors , a Stinson Model U, Ford Trimotor and a Keystone Patri c ian. One of the Condors, NC726K, SIN G-4

1934 - The elder Mr. James E. Barton in 1934 with his OX-5 powered Waco 10 at Danville Airport.

VI NTAGE AI RPLANE 25

owned by Clarence Chamberlain, was used for nighttime passenger hops and Jim recalls watching it take off with both of the 600 hp Curtiss Conqueror engines at full power burning auto fuel and leaving a trail of glowing carbon embers looking like a super-bright Milky Way.

The Keystone Patrician, NC 1 ON, SIN 206 was a huge 20-place fabric covered trimotor with an 88' 6" wingspan owned by Ken Hunter and Sy Gates. These two men were good friends of the Bartons and they stayed in the Barton home for 30 days while barnstorming in the area. They invited their host to become a parter in the Patrician venture but Mr. Barton declined, realizing that the big trimotor would have to be re-covered before it could be re-licensed. But before Hunter and Gates moved on, Jim

was allowed to get some "stick time" in the Patrician.

Obviously Jim was not the typical "airport kid." There aren't many pilots today who can show flight time in their logbooks in such a variety of planes while still a teenager. While finishing high-school Jim helped his dad at the airport, then after graduation he worked for the Currey Flying Service at Gales­burg, Illinois where he received his commercial and flight instructor ratings in the CPT Program.

Jim will never forget the final maneuver he and other students of in­structor Joe Call had to perform before being recommended for their "secon­dary" rating check ride. They rolled the Waco UPF-7 inverted over the field at

26 FEBRUARY 1991

AIR p .9.RT ~-........~~-

Danville Airport in 1929. The Ford Trimotor belonged to Grey Goose Airlines, with service to Chicago. If you look carefully, behind the Ford you will see the unmistakable profile of one of Goodyear's "Pony" blimps.

1,500' agl, executed a 360 degree tum with a half roll on final to a landing. After successful completion of the CPT program Jim was hired as a flight in­structor in 1941 and instructed CPT stu ­dents in Aeronca TLs and Chiefs, UPF-7s, Meyers OTWs and a Waco INF.

One day he learned of a Parks Air College operation at Sikeston, Missouri where Army Air Corps cadets were lea rning to fl y. The minimum require­ments for a flight instructor' s job at Sikeston were 21 years of age and 250 hours in aircraft of more than 200 hp. On June 29, 1941, his 21st birthday, Jim was qualified. He promptly submi tted an application ancl was hired six clays later after passing a check ride with Harvey Glass. Jim later lea rned that in

On the day before attaining his Private licence at age 17, Jim poses with the Continental Special. When he got his license, Jim became the youngest licensed pilot in the state of Illinois.

1936 - Well in advance of Jim's work on the auto fuel STC, Clarence Chamberlain's Curtiss Condor was barnstorming the midwest and running his Conqueror engines on auto fuel.

1951 - At the Galesburg,ll airport, Jim and his lovely wife Doris stand by their Crosley airport car and Stearman PT-17, with a Rawdon canopy. Jim says the Stearman would cruise about 7 mph faster with the canopy. For summer flying, the side windows slide down into the fuselage.

1927 Glass was the first flight instructor hired by Parks Air College. Jim in­structed there in Steannan PT-18s and later in Fairchild PT-19s.

Sikeston was a small town of 7,000 population in southeast Missouri with limited hotel and motel accomodations. The friendly townfolk willingly opened their homes for many of the primary training base personnel. Jim owned a brand new 1941 Chevrolet convertible and the family in whose home he was staying tore down their single car garage and built a 2-car garage to share with Jim. That's true midwestern hospitality!

It was in Sikeston where Jim met and courted a pretty young girl who worked for a doctor and who also served as mayor of the town. On their first date Jim forgot his billfold and Doris had to finance the evening. Despite this rocky start they were married and spent a weekend honeymoon in Memphis, Ten­nessee. In time they became the parents of two daughters.

When Jim's seniority number reached 16 of the 160 flight instructors at Sikeston he was given instrument training and received his rating in a Rearwin Model 8135T "Cloudster." In those days instrument navigation and

approaches were on the low frequency radio facilities and the airwork included a 2-turn precision spin.

In late 1944 when the U. S. military's need for pilots became less critical during World War II, all primary train­ing bases began closing and Parks in­structors who could qualify for the airlines could be released . As a result of this policy, Slim Payne, a representative of American Airlines from Memphis conducted interviews with 110 of the instructors at Sikeston. Jim was one of 13 who were hired in October, 1944.

Two months later he was sent to New York City where American's flight training school was located in their han­gar at La Guardia Field. During class breaks the budding airline pilots stood outside the hangar and watched the Pan American Airways Boeing 314 Clip­pers land on Flushing Bay. Jim recalls that after touchdown it took about 40 minutes for the pilots of the big flying boats to taxi and dock at the pier.

After successful completion to American's, school Jim was sent to Chicago where he flew the line for three years before being furloughed in December 1947. By that time Mr. Bar­ton had moved his FBO to Galesburg, Illinois so Jim and Doris moved there to

run the business. Mr. Barton's health was failing fast and he passed away in January 1948 at age 50.

Jim and Doris stayed in Galesburg for five years operating the FBO. While Jim was busy instructing, flying charter trips, and selling airplanes, Doris was running the business. She managed the office, did the bookeeping, scheduled the aircraft and knew which pilots were qualified to go solo. She also gassed planes when the full time mechanic wasn't on hand for that chore.

In 1953 , Jim was re-hired by American and was based in Chicago where he flew for the next 27 years, retiring in 1980. During his long and acciden t-free career with American Jim flew the DC-3, DC-6/7, Convair 240 in which he obtained his ATP, Lockheed Electra (he also instructed in these), B­727 and DC-I0.

As a long-time dedicated EAA mem­ber Jim has given much support to the organization's programs since the "Rockford days." In 1977 when EAA commemorated the 50th anniversary of Lindbergh's solo crossing of the Atlan­tic and subsequent tour of the U. S., Jim was among the first to volunteer his services. A replica of the Ryan NYP "Spirit of SI. Louis" was constructed in

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

the EAA Museum's shop and flown by volunteer pilots on a four month tour of the U. S. following Lindbergh's original route. Lindbergh was escorted by a Fairchild FC-2 support plane and likewise EAA's "Spirit" was accom­panied by a Stinson SM-8A. Jim was one of the Stinson pilots and flew the major part of the U. S. tour in 1977 and all of the Canadian tours in 1978 and 1979.

Jim also played a major role in the EAA Auto Fuel Test program during the 1980s when he, with the assistance of volunteer pilot Howie Mattes, flew most of the hours of the flight tests: 7 SO hours in a Cessna ISO, SSO hours in a Cessna 182 and SlO hours in a Piper PA-28-140.

Jim started attending the EAA Na­tional conventions at Rockford, Illinois in the 1960s and soon realized that it took a great number of volunteers to stage the event. He became a volunteer and spent many hours picking up rocks and parking cars. For the past several years he has been co-chairman of the vital Flight Line Operations Committee. He has also served many years on the EAA Aviation Foundation's Board of Directors.

When the EAA National Head­quarters and Museum moved from the Milwaukee area to Oshkosh, Jim and Doris purchased a home on the west boundary of Wittman Field and moved from their Chicago suburb home to be closer to EAA.

Throughout the summer Jim can be found at the Museum's Pioneer Airport helping to keep the antique planes ready for flight and on weekends standing by with other volunteer pilots to fly them for the enjoyment of Museum visitors. During the winter he frequently makes himself useful at EAA's Kermit Weeks Flight Research Center.

In his well-equipped shop next to his home is an outstanding example of a . Starduster Too which Jim has been building over the years. It could easily be flying by now if he spent as much time in his shop as he does volunteering for EAA . Incidentally the FAA registration number on the Starduster is NS864, the same as on his dad's early Waco 10 and the one in which he took his first flying lesson.

Jim was not the typical airport kid nor is he the typical EAA volunteer. Scarce­ly a day goes by when he can't be found doing something for the good of the organization.•

28 FEBRUARY 1991

1941 - Jim's friend Earl Allen and a 1967 - 26 years later, Earl gave Jim his Franklin Sport. check ride for his 727 type rating.

Standing next to the Stinson SM-8A that he flew during the late 1970's for the lindbergh Commemorative tour, Captain Jim Barton exemplifies the slogan painted under the cockpit window of the Stinson - He's always there when we need him!

PASS II 10--1] An information exchange column with input from readers.

by Buck Hilbert (EAA 21, Ale 5) P,O, Box 424 Union, IL 60180

KINNER HELP Dear Buck,

Thank you very much for publishing my LeRhone needs letter in the Decem­ber 1990 VINTAGE AIRPLANE. It brought results and helped my engine restoration project greatly.

I received a postal card from an EAA member in Maryland who offered a Le­Rhone carburetor, oil pump and mag­neto - and a deal was quickly made.

Including a LeRhone drawing in the December issue helps to keep up the interest in these fine old engines.

The gentleman in Maryland is Joe Fichera, 302 Kentmorr Road , Stevensville, Maryland 21666. He flies an OX-5 Bird and is restoring a Kinner Bird that was owned by Ann Lindbergh in 1946. Joe's Kinner B-5 needs a crankshaft and I promised to help him find one.

Again, thanks for your help - it was truly great.

Best regards, Robert E. Higgins (EAA 150696, AlC 5423)

This is what it's all about guys and gals - can anybody help out Joe Fichera?

VARGA FAN

Dear Buck, I noticed in the June issue of

VINTAGE AIRPLANE on page 28, you mention receiving your Varga Newslet­ter.

TI1e Varga is one of my favorite light planes and I would like to have their mailing address. Also, since Varga sold out, who now owns the company?

Warren E. Wood (EAA 1760, A/C 167)

And in a similar vein . .. Dear Buck,

During a recent hangar discussion, some of us were wondering why no one ever produced an all metal two place tandem closed cabin monoplane. We recalled the Ercoupe and the Luscombe Silvaire, but they had side by side seat­ing. The Ryan ST-3 , PT22 had a two place tandem metal fuselage with fabric wings but was open. The Globe Swift was an all metal monoplane but again had side by side seating. The Cessna 120-140 was a cabin monoplane of metal but was also side by side.

Is there some reason a two place tan­dem arrangement is not desirable in a closed airplane?

Sincerely, Tylden W. Streett (EAA 32423, AIC 15948)

Dear Tylden, You've really opened up a real point

for conjecture and debate with your let­ter. Aside from military trainer design, there have been literally NO two place tandem all metal monoplane designs produced commercially, except the Varga 2150/2180.

My feelings are that it boils down to the commercial acceptance of the product. The almighty dollar is what determines what gets built. If you can't sell it, you can't afford to build it. So you build what will sell.

Swift was never able to convince anyone they wanted a Buckaroo. Mor­risey couldn't sell the 2100 and sold the design to Shinn . They, in tum, sold to Varga and after a few years they became history . Right now that design is under­going modernization and is planned for re-introduction in the near future by a group name of Montanair in Kalispell , Montana.

The Varga 2150 is coming into its own as a sport trainer now, after the manufacturer went out of business in 1982. Montanair could do a good busi­ness in replacement parts if they had the PMA and would get into it. The friendlies, though, have blocked their attempts to support the aircraft already out there.

I'm going to throw this out to our readers and see what they have to sayan the subject. How about it, guys; can anyone out there shed some light on this one for Tylden Streett?

Over to you, and you, and YOU! .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

THE ARCHIVES ~~~~~~c~

MYSTERY PLANE

This "bare bones" view ofa prototype of a famous biplane of the 1930s reveals some interesting details. A necessary modification resulted in a very popular airplane. The photo is from the EAA archives. Answers will be published in the May, 1991 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is AprilS.

The November Mystery plane is a DeHavilland DH-80A Puss Moth. John Underwood of Glendale, California writes: "It appears to be Roger Wolf Kahn's DH-80A Puss Moth, possibly with a new paint job and minus wheel pants. Anyway, Roger brought it back from England in 1931 or thereabouts, along with a Comper Swift, which he intended to race. The Swift went back to England but the Puss Moth stayed in Roger's stable for several years.

"Roger was a very diverse individual. He composed music and had a popular dance band. He was also prominent in

By George Hardie

the management of the air races at Cleveland, Miami and elsewhere, both as a performer (aerobatics) and timer. He was also a test pilot for Burnelli, Bellanca and Grumman, in whose ser­vices he remained throughout the 1940s and '50s. He was the son of banker Otto Kahn."

Charley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois adds this: "The plane pictured is the DeHavilland Puss Moth DH-80A plus. It's been modified with static balances on the ailerons and jury struts on the forward wing struts. These mods were to forestall recurrence of several fatal accidents attributed to flutter and sub­sequent failure. Another unique feature was the pivoting fairing around the main landing gear legs. When turned 90 degrees to the relative wind, this drag acted as a glide ·steepener'. Activation was by cable and hand crank.

"This type was flown in many long­distance flights in the 1930s, including

a 4 and a half day round-trip, England to Capetown, South Africa, and two transatlantic flights by Jim and Amy Mollison. Some 230 were built. The last one I saw in the U.S. wasat Oshkosh about four years ago. It belonged to Skeeter Carlson from the West Coast (N223EC)."

Finally, Andrew King of Miami, Florida writes to clarify the current whereabouts of the Puss Moth:

"I am currently at my parents' house for Christmas and think 1 will have the lead in answering November's Mystery Plane as it currently sits in pieces in the garage just a few feet from where I now sit. It is, of course, a DeHavilland DH.80A 'Puss Moth,' the registration number is NC770N, and serial number is 2140. A brief history of the airplane is as follows:

"It was built in England at the begin­ning of 1931 and registered as G-ABIH on 2-23-31. Sometime during that year,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

Long Island industrialist and pilot Roger Kahn was in England, flew the Puss Moth and liked it so much he bought it and shipped it (I assume) back to the U.S. in November of 1931. On December 16 the airplane was awarded a Group 2 Approved Type Certificate #2-393 (see page 170 of Volume 9 of Juptner's 'U.S. Civil Aircraft') and by this time the American registration number NC770N had been assigned.

"Kahn flew the airplane for several years and then sold it to friend and mechanic Rudy Proschack, also of Long Island. Proschack (I'm not sure of the spelling of that) eventually sold the Puss Moth and sometime later bought it back in dilapidated shape for a paltry few hundred dollars.

"Long Islander Don Wolf, known to EAAers for his Boredom Fighter homebuilt biplane, was involved in the story during this time as he helped to rebuild the airplane and flew it many times from the late 1930s on­ward.

"During World War II, 770N was dismantled as per CAA regs, although it was put together one summer for a vaca­tion trip to Massachusetts. After the war ownership passed to three partners and once again Don Wolf helped in a rebuild that included replacing the original 105 hp Gipsy III engine with a 145 hp Gipsy Major lC and this is when Owen Billman's photo must've been taken. Note that the number on the rud­

34 FEBRUARY 1991

DH-80A Puss Moth

der has no C in it,just N770N, and also note the new hole in the right side cowl­ing for the Gipsy Major air intake; the Gipsy III used the small scoop further back. The colors are red fuselage with a light blue stripe and silver wings, horizontal tail, and pinstripe around the stripe.

"Cole Palen became interested in the Puss Moth in the 1960s and flew it several times before it became unair­worthy again. He managed to purchase it in a disassembled state and until recently it was stored in a hangar at his Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

"Our family has had a long associa­tion with Cole and the Aerodrome, and dad has owned one Tiger Moth or another since 1967. In fact he tried to buy the Puss Moth way back before Cole finally did. Dad has always kept an interest in 770N and now that he's retired has taken on the task of restoring it, which brings us to here and now. Extensive work is underway with no estimated date for completion.

"The only other Puss Moth in the U.S. belongs to Skeeter Carlson in Washington state; there are a couple in Canada and Australia, and several in England, so it is a very rare aircraft with several unique features such as folding wings, a rear seat that slides over so that a third person can be accommodated on a fold-up jump seat, and the ability to rotate the long landing gear shock struts 90 degrees to act as air brakes for landing.

'The airplane really isn't much big­ger than a Cub, something to think about when you consider that Jim Mollison made the first solo east-to-west crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in the most famous Puss Moth, 'The Heart's Con­tent. '

"Any other info or pictures anybody out there can supply would be greatly appreciated. "

According to the Putnam book on DeHavillands, 25 were built in Canada. As of 1976, four were registered in the U.S. Juptner lists British Serial No. 2140 as being granted Group 2 Ap­proval No. 393 on December 16, 1931 (probably Roger Kahn's airplane). A close look at the photo shows what ap­pears to be 770N on the rudder. Correct answers were received by V.N. Smith of Great Britain (who was quite pleased that we gave him something a bit closer to home for him to identify), Frank Pav­liga and Bette Bach-Fineman. Steven McNicoll also correctly identified the Puss Moth.

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