va vol 35 no 3 march 2007
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http://members.eaavintage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/VA-Vol-35-No-3-March-2007.pdfTRANSCRIPT
GEOFF ROBI SON PRESIDENT VI NTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATI ON
Abusy time for us all As I write this column for the March
issue of Vintage Airplane magazine it is mid-February here in the great winter wonderland of northeast Indiana and I would bet a moderate sum of money that a lot of you are as tired of old man winters antics as I am Anyway by the time you read this we will be moving toward some milder weather condishytions and we can get back to spendshying more quality time hanging out around the airport I am really looking forward to throwing the doors open to not only the fresh air but also the ocshycasional visitors and hang-abouts who stumble in to see what we are up to in our new chapter hangar at the DeKalb County Airport (GWB) This should prove to be a productive year for us as we have a number of chapter projects in the works
Speaking of Vintage Aircraft Assoshyciation (VAA) chapters have any of you ever given any serious thought to starting a local VAA chapter in your region Belonging to an EAA or VAA chapter is really an excellent way to enhance your aviation experishyences and it is also an excellent opshyportunity for you to engage yourself in various aviation-based social opshyportunities Whether or not you are a pilot and regardless of whether or not you own an aircraft these types of opportunities are often excellent proving grounds to immerse yourself in a myriad of exceptional aviationshyrelated not to mention fun expeshyriences Check it out at wwwEAA orgchaptersactivitiesstartchapterasp I can assure you you won t regret it
It s hard to believe AirVenture 2007 is only a short four months away now and as you can imagine we are hard
at work planning and preparing for another excellent experience for the many thousands of visitors we host each year in the VAA area of the conshyvention grounds Please give serious consideration to assisting us in our efforts to see that the 2007 event deshyvelops into our best effort yet The financial support for the various activshyities in connection with the weeklong event in the VAA Red Barn area is unshyderwritten by a yearly special convenshytion support fund This effort as many of you are aware is the VAAs Friends of the Red Barn program Be sure to check out our newly revised and imshyproved offerings to those who support this vital VAA program You can read more about it starting on page 8 Be a part of the movement and be sure to be there to see it all in action You can read more about it and sign up online at our website www VintageAircraft orgprogramsredbamhtml
Im sure you have heard in the recent past that EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Association have been working hard for a number of years with the FAA to unlock the virtual death grip that has withheld access to the orphaned aircraft data necshyessary to properly maintain our beloved vintage aircraft and now it appears as though those efforts could soon begin to bear fruit The FAA recently filed its proposed reauthorization bill Within that bill which will soon be hotly deshybated before the US Congress the FAA is seeking permission to release abanshydoned type certificate or supplemental type certificate data to private individshyuals so that aircraft airworthiness can be properly maintained This proposed change was heavily lobbied for by EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Association If
approved this initiative would virtually eliminate the dilemma for owners who are reqUired to maintain their vintage aircraft to approved data even though that data could not be released due to intellectual property laws For further information see the story on page six of this months Vintage Airplane magazine As critical an initiative as this is its also relevant here to recognize yet again that the relationship between the FAA and the EAAVAA has never been stronger Many thanks to Earl Lawrence and the Government Programs office of EAA and to our VAA executive director HG Frautschy for their hard work in assurshying that this critically important initiashytive has an honest chance to progress
It was also quite gratifying to see the US Congress recent response to the FAAs newly proposed funding strucshyture Talk about a cold shoulder from this august body I cannot remember any other recent hot button issue reshyceiving such a blunt and decisive reacshytion as this dead on arrival initiative Sometimes they actually manage to get it righ t
Remember Now is the time to beshygin planning your journey to EAA AirVenture We promise you an exshyperience unmatched anywhere else in aviation
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007shyThe Worlds Greatest Aviation Celeshybration-coming July 23-29 2007
VAA is about participation Be a member Be a volunteer Be there
Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Remember we are better together Join us and
havetall A~
N E MARCH VOL 35 NO 3 2007
CONTENTS I Fe Straight amp Level
A busy time fo r us all by Geoff Robison
2 News
6 FAA Attemps to Loosen Grip on Abandoned Vintage Aircraft Data
EAAVAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers by EAA Editorial and Government Programs Staff
10 Restoration Corner Assembly and Rigging by Gene Morris
14 Bellanca 260 John Morrison s Triple-Tail Love Affair by Budd Davisson
20 Horsepower Is More Really Better Courtesy of the Luscombe Association by Gerry Sheahan
24 Recollections of Chicagos Curtiss-Reynolds Airport
One of the golden age of aviation s jewels by Kenneth McQueen
30 The Vintage Instructor HAT check by Doug Stewart
32 Pass it to Buck Where did I go by Buck Hilbert
34 Mystery Plane by H_G Frautschy
36 Calendar
40 Classified Ads
COVERS FRONT COVER John Morrisons going-places machine is this brightly-painted Bellanca 260 which he flies with his two sons Read more about it in Budd Davisson s article beginning on page 14 EM photo by Jim Koepnick BACK COVER Yellow Lure is the title of th is award-winning painting by aviation artist Sam Lyons of Woodstock Georgia EMs Vette Blust Seaplane Base served as the inspiration as the sumshymertime setting for this beaut ifu l painting To learn more about obtaining a print of Yellow Lure visit Sams website at wwwlyonsstudiocom
S T AFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny Executive DirectorEdi tor HG Frautschy Managing Editor Kathleen Witman News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Daphene Van Hullum Copy Edi tor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw
Display Advertising Representatives Northeast Allen Murray Phone 856-220-7180 FAX 856-229-7258 e-mail nelllllllrrnymilldsprillg(olll
Southeast Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-532-4640 FAX 727-532-4630 e-mai l cbnulll milldsprillgcolll
Central Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932 FAX 816-741 -6458 e-mail toddispc-lIlngcom
Mou ntain Ilt Pacific John Gibson Phone 916-784-9593 e-mail jOllIIgibsOlrispc-lIl(gcolll
Europe Willi Tacke Phone +498969340213 FAX +4989693402 14 e-mail wii(lyillg-pnges(olll
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
Air Tour Final Rule IssuedshyPart 91 Operators Relieved
After a nearly three-year process the FAA has released the final version of the National Air Tour Safety Standards amending or adding rules to CFR Part 6191 119 121 135 and 136
EAA members who operate busishynesses within Part 91 General Opershyating And Flight Rules asked EAA to address the notice of proposed ruleshymaking (NPRM) back in 2003 EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Association made comments in print and at a pubshylic meeting in Washington DC opshyposing the proposed rule as drafted Other industry representatives includshying Rick Pellicciotti (who created a Yashyhoo website so Part 91 operators could easily communicate) Rob and Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Greg Herrick of the Aviation Foundashytion of America and Brent Taylor of the AAA were all united in their opshyposition of the rule In fact more than 2300 comments were registered with the FAA the vast majority of them not in favor of the rule
As written the rule would have in effect moved those commercial opshyerators who offered rides or flight exshyperiences into Part 135 operations As written by Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Unless there was an enormous amount of give and take with the FAA in no way could a 50- to 75-year-old aircraft meet the current requirements of Part 135 Overnight this business would have ceased to exshyist had NPRM 4521 passed with the elimination of the 25-mile exception of that I am certain
The additional aircraft and papershywork requirements and the eliminashytion of the 25-mile exemption would have driven most of those operators out of business
After considering the numerous comments the FAAs final rule does not move Part 91 operators into the arena of Part 135 operators and while it does impose additional safety re-
MARCH 2007
q uiremen ts (in particular req uireshyments for the use of life vests for flights over water and the addition of pop-out floats for helicopters not so equipped that are used in over-water sightseeing flights) it does not signifishycantly impede those who operate their businesses as Part 91 operations
Our thanks to all members and orshyganizations who joined in fighting this proposed rule In particular Id like to single out Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service who was the first among us to recognize the signifshyicant impact this proposed rule could have and who rallied the troops with a call to arms that was cogent reasoned and above all passionate about the small businesses that day in and day out offer the public a unique way to experience flight
FAA Reaffirms Young Eagles Flights Not Subject to New Air Tour Rule
February 22 2007 - A week of work by EAA and FAA has ensured the future vitality and success of the Young Eagles program by removing possible barriers that were part of the new air tour rule announced earlier this month
EAA President Tom Poberezny along with EAAs Earl Lawrence and Doug Macnair met Thursday with FAAs seshynior leadership including Administrashytor Marion Blakey They discussed the air tour rules possible effect on Young Eagles especially limits on what airshycraft could be used for Young Eagles flights plus additional restrictions on pilot qualifications and frequency of Young Eagles activities
Everyone we met with at FAA assured us that there was no intent to harm the Young Eagles program in any manner through the air tour rule Poberezny said FAAs staff showed true concern for the program and immediately moved toward a positive solution
When Poberezny arrived at FAA headquarters the agency had in anticishypation of the meeting drafted a letter
clarifying Young Eagles flights as nonshycompensation flights The letter emshyphasized that the air tour rule does not apply to Young Eagles flights where the pilot does not receive compensation
The final version of that letter will arrive at EAA within the next few busishyness days In addition Administrator Blakey and FAA senior officials pledged that technical corrections would be made to the air tour rules preamble before the rule takes effect on March 152007
For EAA members who plan on flying Young Eagles it means they may conshytinue to operate as they have in the past when providing Young Eagles flights
The rapid positive resolution to this situation is an example of the outshystanding working relationship between EAA and FAA Poberezny said FAA has helped provide the environment where nearly 13 million Young Eagles have been flown and they continue their support of what has become the largest youth education program in aviation history We are very pleased with the outcome and appreciate FAAs immediate attention to this issue
EAA Voices Strong Opposition to User-Fee And Fuel Tax Hike Proposal
What EAA and other general aviashytion groups saw coming for months arrived on February 5 when it was revealed that user fees were a censhyterpiece of the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviashytion Administration Fiscal Year 2008 budget request
The Bush Administration aims to appropriate money to fund creation of a user-fee bureaucracy for various aviation services It also proposes a nearly 400 percent increase in the fuel taxes paid by general aviation operashytors and a series of fees for GA access to the nations busiest airports The budget proposal would transfer conshytrol of agency funding and oversight away from Congress and dramatically
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Proactive Advocacy EAAs Prescription for What Ails Recreational Aviation
EAA hosted more than a dozen FAA leaders for the two-day 2007 Oshkosh Recreational Aviation Sumshymit January 16-17 where the issues discussed ranged from sport pilotlight-sport aircraft and experimenshytalamateur-builts to warbirds aerobatic regulations air shows vintage aircraft and air tour operations EAA received deadline-sensitive commitments from the FAA to act on the wide range of topics
This is really the roll-up-your-sleeves meeting charting the course for what we need to work on said Jim Ballough FAA director of flight standards This is the way we get things done Get the issues on the table and chart the course
John Hickey FAA director of aircraft certificashytion went a step further When you look at what were working on as reflected in the list of acshytions-a strong focus on vintage and orphan airshycraft issues that have plagued the community for years just to name a couple-2007 could well be a watershed year I cant imagine these being adshydressed without the (EAA-FAA) relationship and the winter meetings
The relationship he referred to is a product of EAAs unique approach of proactive advocacy By seeking well thought-out consensus-driven solushytions to problems instead of taking a more advershysarial approach two sides can find and occupy the common ground The result issues are dealt with beshyfore they become full-blown problems thereby benshyefiting EAA members as well as all those who seek to participate in aviation
We highly value our working relationship with the FAA said EAA President Tom Poberezny Our philosophy of proactive advocacy not reactive adshydresses the issues and makes better use of everyshyones time Every year that we do this it goes more smoothly and things get done Its not that the isshysues have gotten any easier but we come in better prepared and better able to address the issues
Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft The FAA intends to publish a final rule change regardshy
ing certification of amphibious special light-sport airshycraft (S-LSA) with a reposition able landing gear by May 2007
The FAA is devising plans to provide on-site registrashytion at Sun n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for transitioning ultralights to experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) This will not only provide a service to those needing to make the transition but also create more awareness stressing that owners need to get the conversion process started well in advance of the loomshying January 31 2008 deadline
Amateur-Built Aircraft A mutual goal is to determine a regulatory framework
for aircraft that do not fit within the confines of the amateur-built category while preserving the 51 percent rule The FAA is intent on addressing builder assistance activities that fall outside the 51 percent rule
Aerobatics The International Aerobatic Club (lAC) seeks to extend
the fuel-carry exemption that exists for performances to practice flights plus change the rule requiring papershywork in the aircraft for practical and safety reasons lAC also argued that the FAA ramp checks at lAC contest events are unnecessary as lACs thorough inspections of aircraft and paperwork are more than sufficient
Warbirds EAA Warbirds of America is following up summit
discussions by working with warbird industry repshyresentatives and the FAA to further define the FAAs program plan for oversight of vintage and exhibition aircraft Aircraft operating limitations will also be adshydressed this year
Vintage Aircraft Fleet FAA and EAA officials continued discussions on ways
to address the airworthiness needs of the vintage aircraft fleet including modern methods and materials that ofshyten conflict with existing regulations
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
reduce public control of how the FAA exercises its discretionary spending
DOT and FAA have attempted to distract from the user fee issue in their public statements by saying that revshyenue from general aviation would conshytinue to be collected via a fuel tax but they fail to acknowledge that the fuel tax would be increased dramatically and a whole series of user fees would be implemented for FAA services that today do not carry a charge said Doug Macnair EAA vice-president of governshyment relations
New fees known to be in the budshyget proposal as this issue went to press would affect aircraft certification and registration appointment andor desshyignation of designees used to certificate amateur-built aircraft and light-sport airshycraft and airman medical certificates
EAA remains categorically opposed to user fees Macnair added Such a system will not enhance safety it will not improve services and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government II
EAA contends that the current sysshytem of excise taxes on general aviation fuel and airline passenger tickets works and has worked well for nearly 40 years In fact the Airport and Airway Trust Fund received record revenues the past two years and is on course to do so again in 2007
Congress must approve a new fundshying plan or reauthorize the existing one before it expires in September Several congressional leaders have told EAA that they have more questions than answers regarding the user-fee proposals EAA and the GA community will continue to communicate the many flaws of the user-fee proposal to those in congress and elsewhere in government as well as the general aviation community
This is a coordinated effort on the part of the air carriers and the adminshyistration to implement a user fee-based system Macnair said [t must be met with a coordinated effort in defense of general aviation because it threatens to eliminate the freedom of the average American to enjoy flight
Individuals can also have a profound effect on how this plays out Contact
MARCH 2007
your elected representatives to tell them about the seriousness of this isshysue and the direct impact it will have on you your family your business and your community For contact informashytion visit wwwHousegov and wwwSenshyategov To learn more about the user fee issue and why EAA thinks its a bad idea read EAAs briefing paper Go to wwwEAAorg and look in the Advocacy section of the members only area
Top Air Show Performers Locked in for the Big Show
What do Sean D Tucker Patty Wagstaff Kirby Chambliss Debby Rihn-Harvey Mike Goulian Kent Pishyetsch Matt Younkin and Kyle Frankshylin have in common Besides being among the worlds best pilots they are also among the many top pershyformers who have confirmed their appearance at The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration-EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2007
Each of these performers work as a headline act at dozens of air shows throughout the country but they come together at EAA AirVenture to make an all-star roster of the best of the best said Tom Poberezny EAA president who flew as a member of the renowned Eagles Aerobatic Team Air show performers are eager to fly at Oshkosh because it represents a major achievement in their careers flying in front of the most knowlshyedgeable and appreciative audiences on the air show circuit
Also confirmed to appear this year are the AeroShell Aerobatic Team Dan Buchanan Pat Epps David Marshytin and John Mohr Additional air show performers will be announced as they are confirmed
The afternoon air show is an anticshyipated spectacle each day at EAA AirshyVenture providing an exciting way to round out a full day on the Osshyhkosh flightline Prior to each days air show there is also showcase flyshying featuring a variety of aircraft old and new that shows the depth and breath of the aviation community Exact daily performance schedules will be finalized in the weeks prior to EAA AirVenture and will be anshy
nounced on wwwAirVentureorg EM AirVenture 2007 Performers (as of February 1 2007-more will be
added and the list is subject to change withshy
out notice)
bull AeroShell Aerobatic Team T-6s
bull Dan Buchanan Hang Glider
bull Kirby Chambliss Edge 540
bull Pat Epps Aerobatic Bonanza
bull Kyle Franklin Cub Comedy
bull Mike Goulian Extra
bull Debby Rihn-Harvey Hurricane 2
bull David Martin Extra
bull John Mohr Stearman
bull Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
bull Sean Tucker Oracle Challenger
bull Patty Wagstaff Extra
bull Matt Younkin Travel Air Mystery Ship
In Honor of Those Who Have Fallen
People often take pencil rubbings as mementos at EAAs Memorial Wall
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 a solemn dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday morning July 29 to honor those who have gone before us EAAs Memorial Wall located just behind Fershygus Chapel adjacent to Pioneer Airport provides an everlasting tribute to our fallen comrades by memorializing their names on a beautiful wall constructed of stones brought to Oshkosh by EAA members from all over the world
The ceremony includes a special name recognition tribute and a missshying man flyover Each inductee is also remembered in a memory album kept at the chapel It is a wonderful way to honor those that have gone before us Contributions for including a name on the wall are held in EAAs endowshyment in perpetuity To learn how you can include the name of your departed loved one visit wwwEAAorgsupport
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Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
Subscribe to e-Hot Line EMs free weekly members-only electronic newsletter
To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
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VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
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Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
dalefa yemsll col1l
Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
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Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
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shscJmidmilwpccom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
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Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
N E MARCH VOL 35 NO 3 2007
CONTENTS I Fe Straight amp Level
A busy time fo r us all by Geoff Robison
2 News
6 FAA Attemps to Loosen Grip on Abandoned Vintage Aircraft Data
EAAVAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers by EAA Editorial and Government Programs Staff
10 Restoration Corner Assembly and Rigging by Gene Morris
14 Bellanca 260 John Morrison s Triple-Tail Love Affair by Budd Davisson
20 Horsepower Is More Really Better Courtesy of the Luscombe Association by Gerry Sheahan
24 Recollections of Chicagos Curtiss-Reynolds Airport
One of the golden age of aviation s jewels by Kenneth McQueen
30 The Vintage Instructor HAT check by Doug Stewart
32 Pass it to Buck Where did I go by Buck Hilbert
34 Mystery Plane by H_G Frautschy
36 Calendar
40 Classified Ads
COVERS FRONT COVER John Morrisons going-places machine is this brightly-painted Bellanca 260 which he flies with his two sons Read more about it in Budd Davisson s article beginning on page 14 EM photo by Jim Koepnick BACK COVER Yellow Lure is the title of th is award-winning painting by aviation artist Sam Lyons of Woodstock Georgia EMs Vette Blust Seaplane Base served as the inspiration as the sumshymertime setting for this beaut ifu l painting To learn more about obtaining a print of Yellow Lure visit Sams website at wwwlyonsstudiocom
S T AFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny Executive DirectorEdi tor HG Frautschy Managing Editor Kathleen Witman News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Daphene Van Hullum Copy Edi tor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw
Display Advertising Representatives Northeast Allen Murray Phone 856-220-7180 FAX 856-229-7258 e-mail nelllllllrrnymilldsprillg(olll
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Europe Willi Tacke Phone +498969340213 FAX +4989693402 14 e-mail wii(lyillg-pnges(olll
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
Air Tour Final Rule IssuedshyPart 91 Operators Relieved
After a nearly three-year process the FAA has released the final version of the National Air Tour Safety Standards amending or adding rules to CFR Part 6191 119 121 135 and 136
EAA members who operate busishynesses within Part 91 General Opershyating And Flight Rules asked EAA to address the notice of proposed ruleshymaking (NPRM) back in 2003 EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Association made comments in print and at a pubshylic meeting in Washington DC opshyposing the proposed rule as drafted Other industry representatives includshying Rick Pellicciotti (who created a Yashyhoo website so Part 91 operators could easily communicate) Rob and Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Greg Herrick of the Aviation Foundashytion of America and Brent Taylor of the AAA were all united in their opshyposition of the rule In fact more than 2300 comments were registered with the FAA the vast majority of them not in favor of the rule
As written the rule would have in effect moved those commercial opshyerators who offered rides or flight exshyperiences into Part 135 operations As written by Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Unless there was an enormous amount of give and take with the FAA in no way could a 50- to 75-year-old aircraft meet the current requirements of Part 135 Overnight this business would have ceased to exshyist had NPRM 4521 passed with the elimination of the 25-mile exception of that I am certain
The additional aircraft and papershywork requirements and the eliminashytion of the 25-mile exemption would have driven most of those operators out of business
After considering the numerous comments the FAAs final rule does not move Part 91 operators into the arena of Part 135 operators and while it does impose additional safety re-
MARCH 2007
q uiremen ts (in particular req uireshyments for the use of life vests for flights over water and the addition of pop-out floats for helicopters not so equipped that are used in over-water sightseeing flights) it does not signifishycantly impede those who operate their businesses as Part 91 operations
Our thanks to all members and orshyganizations who joined in fighting this proposed rule In particular Id like to single out Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service who was the first among us to recognize the signifshyicant impact this proposed rule could have and who rallied the troops with a call to arms that was cogent reasoned and above all passionate about the small businesses that day in and day out offer the public a unique way to experience flight
FAA Reaffirms Young Eagles Flights Not Subject to New Air Tour Rule
February 22 2007 - A week of work by EAA and FAA has ensured the future vitality and success of the Young Eagles program by removing possible barriers that were part of the new air tour rule announced earlier this month
EAA President Tom Poberezny along with EAAs Earl Lawrence and Doug Macnair met Thursday with FAAs seshynior leadership including Administrashytor Marion Blakey They discussed the air tour rules possible effect on Young Eagles especially limits on what airshycraft could be used for Young Eagles flights plus additional restrictions on pilot qualifications and frequency of Young Eagles activities
Everyone we met with at FAA assured us that there was no intent to harm the Young Eagles program in any manner through the air tour rule Poberezny said FAAs staff showed true concern for the program and immediately moved toward a positive solution
When Poberezny arrived at FAA headquarters the agency had in anticishypation of the meeting drafted a letter
clarifying Young Eagles flights as nonshycompensation flights The letter emshyphasized that the air tour rule does not apply to Young Eagles flights where the pilot does not receive compensation
The final version of that letter will arrive at EAA within the next few busishyness days In addition Administrator Blakey and FAA senior officials pledged that technical corrections would be made to the air tour rules preamble before the rule takes effect on March 152007
For EAA members who plan on flying Young Eagles it means they may conshytinue to operate as they have in the past when providing Young Eagles flights
The rapid positive resolution to this situation is an example of the outshystanding working relationship between EAA and FAA Poberezny said FAA has helped provide the environment where nearly 13 million Young Eagles have been flown and they continue their support of what has become the largest youth education program in aviation history We are very pleased with the outcome and appreciate FAAs immediate attention to this issue
EAA Voices Strong Opposition to User-Fee And Fuel Tax Hike Proposal
What EAA and other general aviashytion groups saw coming for months arrived on February 5 when it was revealed that user fees were a censhyterpiece of the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviashytion Administration Fiscal Year 2008 budget request
The Bush Administration aims to appropriate money to fund creation of a user-fee bureaucracy for various aviation services It also proposes a nearly 400 percent increase in the fuel taxes paid by general aviation operashytors and a series of fees for GA access to the nations busiest airports The budget proposal would transfer conshytrol of agency funding and oversight away from Congress and dramatically
2
Proactive Advocacy EAAs Prescription for What Ails Recreational Aviation
EAA hosted more than a dozen FAA leaders for the two-day 2007 Oshkosh Recreational Aviation Sumshymit January 16-17 where the issues discussed ranged from sport pilotlight-sport aircraft and experimenshytalamateur-builts to warbirds aerobatic regulations air shows vintage aircraft and air tour operations EAA received deadline-sensitive commitments from the FAA to act on the wide range of topics
This is really the roll-up-your-sleeves meeting charting the course for what we need to work on said Jim Ballough FAA director of flight standards This is the way we get things done Get the issues on the table and chart the course
John Hickey FAA director of aircraft certificashytion went a step further When you look at what were working on as reflected in the list of acshytions-a strong focus on vintage and orphan airshycraft issues that have plagued the community for years just to name a couple-2007 could well be a watershed year I cant imagine these being adshydressed without the (EAA-FAA) relationship and the winter meetings
The relationship he referred to is a product of EAAs unique approach of proactive advocacy By seeking well thought-out consensus-driven solushytions to problems instead of taking a more advershysarial approach two sides can find and occupy the common ground The result issues are dealt with beshyfore they become full-blown problems thereby benshyefiting EAA members as well as all those who seek to participate in aviation
We highly value our working relationship with the FAA said EAA President Tom Poberezny Our philosophy of proactive advocacy not reactive adshydresses the issues and makes better use of everyshyones time Every year that we do this it goes more smoothly and things get done Its not that the isshysues have gotten any easier but we come in better prepared and better able to address the issues
Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft The FAA intends to publish a final rule change regardshy
ing certification of amphibious special light-sport airshycraft (S-LSA) with a reposition able landing gear by May 2007
The FAA is devising plans to provide on-site registrashytion at Sun n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for transitioning ultralights to experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) This will not only provide a service to those needing to make the transition but also create more awareness stressing that owners need to get the conversion process started well in advance of the loomshying January 31 2008 deadline
Amateur-Built Aircraft A mutual goal is to determine a regulatory framework
for aircraft that do not fit within the confines of the amateur-built category while preserving the 51 percent rule The FAA is intent on addressing builder assistance activities that fall outside the 51 percent rule
Aerobatics The International Aerobatic Club (lAC) seeks to extend
the fuel-carry exemption that exists for performances to practice flights plus change the rule requiring papershywork in the aircraft for practical and safety reasons lAC also argued that the FAA ramp checks at lAC contest events are unnecessary as lACs thorough inspections of aircraft and paperwork are more than sufficient
Warbirds EAA Warbirds of America is following up summit
discussions by working with warbird industry repshyresentatives and the FAA to further define the FAAs program plan for oversight of vintage and exhibition aircraft Aircraft operating limitations will also be adshydressed this year
Vintage Aircraft Fleet FAA and EAA officials continued discussions on ways
to address the airworthiness needs of the vintage aircraft fleet including modern methods and materials that ofshyten conflict with existing regulations
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
reduce public control of how the FAA exercises its discretionary spending
DOT and FAA have attempted to distract from the user fee issue in their public statements by saying that revshyenue from general aviation would conshytinue to be collected via a fuel tax but they fail to acknowledge that the fuel tax would be increased dramatically and a whole series of user fees would be implemented for FAA services that today do not carry a charge said Doug Macnair EAA vice-president of governshyment relations
New fees known to be in the budshyget proposal as this issue went to press would affect aircraft certification and registration appointment andor desshyignation of designees used to certificate amateur-built aircraft and light-sport airshycraft and airman medical certificates
EAA remains categorically opposed to user fees Macnair added Such a system will not enhance safety it will not improve services and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government II
EAA contends that the current sysshytem of excise taxes on general aviation fuel and airline passenger tickets works and has worked well for nearly 40 years In fact the Airport and Airway Trust Fund received record revenues the past two years and is on course to do so again in 2007
Congress must approve a new fundshying plan or reauthorize the existing one before it expires in September Several congressional leaders have told EAA that they have more questions than answers regarding the user-fee proposals EAA and the GA community will continue to communicate the many flaws of the user-fee proposal to those in congress and elsewhere in government as well as the general aviation community
This is a coordinated effort on the part of the air carriers and the adminshyistration to implement a user fee-based system Macnair said [t must be met with a coordinated effort in defense of general aviation because it threatens to eliminate the freedom of the average American to enjoy flight
Individuals can also have a profound effect on how this plays out Contact
MARCH 2007
your elected representatives to tell them about the seriousness of this isshysue and the direct impact it will have on you your family your business and your community For contact informashytion visit wwwHousegov and wwwSenshyategov To learn more about the user fee issue and why EAA thinks its a bad idea read EAAs briefing paper Go to wwwEAAorg and look in the Advocacy section of the members only area
Top Air Show Performers Locked in for the Big Show
What do Sean D Tucker Patty Wagstaff Kirby Chambliss Debby Rihn-Harvey Mike Goulian Kent Pishyetsch Matt Younkin and Kyle Frankshylin have in common Besides being among the worlds best pilots they are also among the many top pershyformers who have confirmed their appearance at The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration-EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2007
Each of these performers work as a headline act at dozens of air shows throughout the country but they come together at EAA AirVenture to make an all-star roster of the best of the best said Tom Poberezny EAA president who flew as a member of the renowned Eagles Aerobatic Team Air show performers are eager to fly at Oshkosh because it represents a major achievement in their careers flying in front of the most knowlshyedgeable and appreciative audiences on the air show circuit
Also confirmed to appear this year are the AeroShell Aerobatic Team Dan Buchanan Pat Epps David Marshytin and John Mohr Additional air show performers will be announced as they are confirmed
The afternoon air show is an anticshyipated spectacle each day at EAA AirshyVenture providing an exciting way to round out a full day on the Osshyhkosh flightline Prior to each days air show there is also showcase flyshying featuring a variety of aircraft old and new that shows the depth and breath of the aviation community Exact daily performance schedules will be finalized in the weeks prior to EAA AirVenture and will be anshy
nounced on wwwAirVentureorg EM AirVenture 2007 Performers (as of February 1 2007-more will be
added and the list is subject to change withshy
out notice)
bull AeroShell Aerobatic Team T-6s
bull Dan Buchanan Hang Glider
bull Kirby Chambliss Edge 540
bull Pat Epps Aerobatic Bonanza
bull Kyle Franklin Cub Comedy
bull Mike Goulian Extra
bull Debby Rihn-Harvey Hurricane 2
bull David Martin Extra
bull John Mohr Stearman
bull Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
bull Sean Tucker Oracle Challenger
bull Patty Wagstaff Extra
bull Matt Younkin Travel Air Mystery Ship
In Honor of Those Who Have Fallen
People often take pencil rubbings as mementos at EAAs Memorial Wall
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 a solemn dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday morning July 29 to honor those who have gone before us EAAs Memorial Wall located just behind Fershygus Chapel adjacent to Pioneer Airport provides an everlasting tribute to our fallen comrades by memorializing their names on a beautiful wall constructed of stones brought to Oshkosh by EAA members from all over the world
The ceremony includes a special name recognition tribute and a missshying man flyover Each inductee is also remembered in a memory album kept at the chapel It is a wonderful way to honor those that have gone before us Contributions for including a name on the wall are held in EAAs endowshyment in perpetuity To learn how you can include the name of your departed loved one visit wwwEAAorgsupport
4
Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
Subscribe to e-Hot Line EMs free weekly members-only electronic newsletter
To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
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VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
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Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
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blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
Air Tour Final Rule IssuedshyPart 91 Operators Relieved
After a nearly three-year process the FAA has released the final version of the National Air Tour Safety Standards amending or adding rules to CFR Part 6191 119 121 135 and 136
EAA members who operate busishynesses within Part 91 General Opershyating And Flight Rules asked EAA to address the notice of proposed ruleshymaking (NPRM) back in 2003 EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Association made comments in print and at a pubshylic meeting in Washington DC opshyposing the proposed rule as drafted Other industry representatives includshying Rick Pellicciotti (who created a Yashyhoo website so Part 91 operators could easily communicate) Rob and Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Greg Herrick of the Aviation Foundashytion of America and Brent Taylor of the AAA were all united in their opshyposition of the rule In fact more than 2300 comments were registered with the FAA the vast majority of them not in favor of the rule
As written the rule would have in effect moved those commercial opshyerators who offered rides or flight exshyperiences into Part 135 operations As written by Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service Unless there was an enormous amount of give and take with the FAA in no way could a 50- to 75-year-old aircraft meet the current requirements of Part 135 Overnight this business would have ceased to exshyist had NPRM 4521 passed with the elimination of the 25-mile exception of that I am certain
The additional aircraft and papershywork requirements and the eliminashytion of the 25-mile exemption would have driven most of those operators out of business
After considering the numerous comments the FAAs final rule does not move Part 91 operators into the arena of Part 135 operators and while it does impose additional safety re-
MARCH 2007
q uiremen ts (in particular req uireshyments for the use of life vests for flights over water and the addition of pop-out floats for helicopters not so equipped that are used in over-water sightseeing flights) it does not signifishycantly impede those who operate their businesses as Part 91 operations
Our thanks to all members and orshyganizations who joined in fighting this proposed rule In particular Id like to single out Bob Lock of Waldo Wrights Flying Service who was the first among us to recognize the signifshyicant impact this proposed rule could have and who rallied the troops with a call to arms that was cogent reasoned and above all passionate about the small businesses that day in and day out offer the public a unique way to experience flight
FAA Reaffirms Young Eagles Flights Not Subject to New Air Tour Rule
February 22 2007 - A week of work by EAA and FAA has ensured the future vitality and success of the Young Eagles program by removing possible barriers that were part of the new air tour rule announced earlier this month
EAA President Tom Poberezny along with EAAs Earl Lawrence and Doug Macnair met Thursday with FAAs seshynior leadership including Administrashytor Marion Blakey They discussed the air tour rules possible effect on Young Eagles especially limits on what airshycraft could be used for Young Eagles flights plus additional restrictions on pilot qualifications and frequency of Young Eagles activities
Everyone we met with at FAA assured us that there was no intent to harm the Young Eagles program in any manner through the air tour rule Poberezny said FAAs staff showed true concern for the program and immediately moved toward a positive solution
When Poberezny arrived at FAA headquarters the agency had in anticishypation of the meeting drafted a letter
clarifying Young Eagles flights as nonshycompensation flights The letter emshyphasized that the air tour rule does not apply to Young Eagles flights where the pilot does not receive compensation
The final version of that letter will arrive at EAA within the next few busishyness days In addition Administrator Blakey and FAA senior officials pledged that technical corrections would be made to the air tour rules preamble before the rule takes effect on March 152007
For EAA members who plan on flying Young Eagles it means they may conshytinue to operate as they have in the past when providing Young Eagles flights
The rapid positive resolution to this situation is an example of the outshystanding working relationship between EAA and FAA Poberezny said FAA has helped provide the environment where nearly 13 million Young Eagles have been flown and they continue their support of what has become the largest youth education program in aviation history We are very pleased with the outcome and appreciate FAAs immediate attention to this issue
EAA Voices Strong Opposition to User-Fee And Fuel Tax Hike Proposal
What EAA and other general aviashytion groups saw coming for months arrived on February 5 when it was revealed that user fees were a censhyterpiece of the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviashytion Administration Fiscal Year 2008 budget request
The Bush Administration aims to appropriate money to fund creation of a user-fee bureaucracy for various aviation services It also proposes a nearly 400 percent increase in the fuel taxes paid by general aviation operashytors and a series of fees for GA access to the nations busiest airports The budget proposal would transfer conshytrol of agency funding and oversight away from Congress and dramatically
2
Proactive Advocacy EAAs Prescription for What Ails Recreational Aviation
EAA hosted more than a dozen FAA leaders for the two-day 2007 Oshkosh Recreational Aviation Sumshymit January 16-17 where the issues discussed ranged from sport pilotlight-sport aircraft and experimenshytalamateur-builts to warbirds aerobatic regulations air shows vintage aircraft and air tour operations EAA received deadline-sensitive commitments from the FAA to act on the wide range of topics
This is really the roll-up-your-sleeves meeting charting the course for what we need to work on said Jim Ballough FAA director of flight standards This is the way we get things done Get the issues on the table and chart the course
John Hickey FAA director of aircraft certificashytion went a step further When you look at what were working on as reflected in the list of acshytions-a strong focus on vintage and orphan airshycraft issues that have plagued the community for years just to name a couple-2007 could well be a watershed year I cant imagine these being adshydressed without the (EAA-FAA) relationship and the winter meetings
The relationship he referred to is a product of EAAs unique approach of proactive advocacy By seeking well thought-out consensus-driven solushytions to problems instead of taking a more advershysarial approach two sides can find and occupy the common ground The result issues are dealt with beshyfore they become full-blown problems thereby benshyefiting EAA members as well as all those who seek to participate in aviation
We highly value our working relationship with the FAA said EAA President Tom Poberezny Our philosophy of proactive advocacy not reactive adshydresses the issues and makes better use of everyshyones time Every year that we do this it goes more smoothly and things get done Its not that the isshysues have gotten any easier but we come in better prepared and better able to address the issues
Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft The FAA intends to publish a final rule change regardshy
ing certification of amphibious special light-sport airshycraft (S-LSA) with a reposition able landing gear by May 2007
The FAA is devising plans to provide on-site registrashytion at Sun n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for transitioning ultralights to experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) This will not only provide a service to those needing to make the transition but also create more awareness stressing that owners need to get the conversion process started well in advance of the loomshying January 31 2008 deadline
Amateur-Built Aircraft A mutual goal is to determine a regulatory framework
for aircraft that do not fit within the confines of the amateur-built category while preserving the 51 percent rule The FAA is intent on addressing builder assistance activities that fall outside the 51 percent rule
Aerobatics The International Aerobatic Club (lAC) seeks to extend
the fuel-carry exemption that exists for performances to practice flights plus change the rule requiring papershywork in the aircraft for practical and safety reasons lAC also argued that the FAA ramp checks at lAC contest events are unnecessary as lACs thorough inspections of aircraft and paperwork are more than sufficient
Warbirds EAA Warbirds of America is following up summit
discussions by working with warbird industry repshyresentatives and the FAA to further define the FAAs program plan for oversight of vintage and exhibition aircraft Aircraft operating limitations will also be adshydressed this year
Vintage Aircraft Fleet FAA and EAA officials continued discussions on ways
to address the airworthiness needs of the vintage aircraft fleet including modern methods and materials that ofshyten conflict with existing regulations
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
reduce public control of how the FAA exercises its discretionary spending
DOT and FAA have attempted to distract from the user fee issue in their public statements by saying that revshyenue from general aviation would conshytinue to be collected via a fuel tax but they fail to acknowledge that the fuel tax would be increased dramatically and a whole series of user fees would be implemented for FAA services that today do not carry a charge said Doug Macnair EAA vice-president of governshyment relations
New fees known to be in the budshyget proposal as this issue went to press would affect aircraft certification and registration appointment andor desshyignation of designees used to certificate amateur-built aircraft and light-sport airshycraft and airman medical certificates
EAA remains categorically opposed to user fees Macnair added Such a system will not enhance safety it will not improve services and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government II
EAA contends that the current sysshytem of excise taxes on general aviation fuel and airline passenger tickets works and has worked well for nearly 40 years In fact the Airport and Airway Trust Fund received record revenues the past two years and is on course to do so again in 2007
Congress must approve a new fundshying plan or reauthorize the existing one before it expires in September Several congressional leaders have told EAA that they have more questions than answers regarding the user-fee proposals EAA and the GA community will continue to communicate the many flaws of the user-fee proposal to those in congress and elsewhere in government as well as the general aviation community
This is a coordinated effort on the part of the air carriers and the adminshyistration to implement a user fee-based system Macnair said [t must be met with a coordinated effort in defense of general aviation because it threatens to eliminate the freedom of the average American to enjoy flight
Individuals can also have a profound effect on how this plays out Contact
MARCH 2007
your elected representatives to tell them about the seriousness of this isshysue and the direct impact it will have on you your family your business and your community For contact informashytion visit wwwHousegov and wwwSenshyategov To learn more about the user fee issue and why EAA thinks its a bad idea read EAAs briefing paper Go to wwwEAAorg and look in the Advocacy section of the members only area
Top Air Show Performers Locked in for the Big Show
What do Sean D Tucker Patty Wagstaff Kirby Chambliss Debby Rihn-Harvey Mike Goulian Kent Pishyetsch Matt Younkin and Kyle Frankshylin have in common Besides being among the worlds best pilots they are also among the many top pershyformers who have confirmed their appearance at The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration-EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2007
Each of these performers work as a headline act at dozens of air shows throughout the country but they come together at EAA AirVenture to make an all-star roster of the best of the best said Tom Poberezny EAA president who flew as a member of the renowned Eagles Aerobatic Team Air show performers are eager to fly at Oshkosh because it represents a major achievement in their careers flying in front of the most knowlshyedgeable and appreciative audiences on the air show circuit
Also confirmed to appear this year are the AeroShell Aerobatic Team Dan Buchanan Pat Epps David Marshytin and John Mohr Additional air show performers will be announced as they are confirmed
The afternoon air show is an anticshyipated spectacle each day at EAA AirshyVenture providing an exciting way to round out a full day on the Osshyhkosh flightline Prior to each days air show there is also showcase flyshying featuring a variety of aircraft old and new that shows the depth and breath of the aviation community Exact daily performance schedules will be finalized in the weeks prior to EAA AirVenture and will be anshy
nounced on wwwAirVentureorg EM AirVenture 2007 Performers (as of February 1 2007-more will be
added and the list is subject to change withshy
out notice)
bull AeroShell Aerobatic Team T-6s
bull Dan Buchanan Hang Glider
bull Kirby Chambliss Edge 540
bull Pat Epps Aerobatic Bonanza
bull Kyle Franklin Cub Comedy
bull Mike Goulian Extra
bull Debby Rihn-Harvey Hurricane 2
bull David Martin Extra
bull John Mohr Stearman
bull Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
bull Sean Tucker Oracle Challenger
bull Patty Wagstaff Extra
bull Matt Younkin Travel Air Mystery Ship
In Honor of Those Who Have Fallen
People often take pencil rubbings as mementos at EAAs Memorial Wall
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 a solemn dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday morning July 29 to honor those who have gone before us EAAs Memorial Wall located just behind Fershygus Chapel adjacent to Pioneer Airport provides an everlasting tribute to our fallen comrades by memorializing their names on a beautiful wall constructed of stones brought to Oshkosh by EAA members from all over the world
The ceremony includes a special name recognition tribute and a missshying man flyover Each inductee is also remembered in a memory album kept at the chapel It is a wonderful way to honor those that have gone before us Contributions for including a name on the wall are held in EAAs endowshyment in perpetuity To learn how you can include the name of your departed loved one visit wwwEAAorgsupport
4
Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
Subscribe to e-Hot Line EMs free weekly members-only electronic newsletter
To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
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507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
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Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
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Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
- ewrenew memberships EAA Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
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Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore infonnation 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 888-322-3229
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Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884 EAA Aircraft Financing Plan 866-808-6040 EAA Enterpri se Rent-A-Car Program 877-GA1-ERAC
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
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Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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Proactive Advocacy EAAs Prescription for What Ails Recreational Aviation
EAA hosted more than a dozen FAA leaders for the two-day 2007 Oshkosh Recreational Aviation Sumshymit January 16-17 where the issues discussed ranged from sport pilotlight-sport aircraft and experimenshytalamateur-builts to warbirds aerobatic regulations air shows vintage aircraft and air tour operations EAA received deadline-sensitive commitments from the FAA to act on the wide range of topics
This is really the roll-up-your-sleeves meeting charting the course for what we need to work on said Jim Ballough FAA director of flight standards This is the way we get things done Get the issues on the table and chart the course
John Hickey FAA director of aircraft certificashytion went a step further When you look at what were working on as reflected in the list of acshytions-a strong focus on vintage and orphan airshycraft issues that have plagued the community for years just to name a couple-2007 could well be a watershed year I cant imagine these being adshydressed without the (EAA-FAA) relationship and the winter meetings
The relationship he referred to is a product of EAAs unique approach of proactive advocacy By seeking well thought-out consensus-driven solushytions to problems instead of taking a more advershysarial approach two sides can find and occupy the common ground The result issues are dealt with beshyfore they become full-blown problems thereby benshyefiting EAA members as well as all those who seek to participate in aviation
We highly value our working relationship with the FAA said EAA President Tom Poberezny Our philosophy of proactive advocacy not reactive adshydresses the issues and makes better use of everyshyones time Every year that we do this it goes more smoothly and things get done Its not that the isshysues have gotten any easier but we come in better prepared and better able to address the issues
Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft The FAA intends to publish a final rule change regardshy
ing certification of amphibious special light-sport airshycraft (S-LSA) with a reposition able landing gear by May 2007
The FAA is devising plans to provide on-site registrashytion at Sun n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for transitioning ultralights to experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) This will not only provide a service to those needing to make the transition but also create more awareness stressing that owners need to get the conversion process started well in advance of the loomshying January 31 2008 deadline
Amateur-Built Aircraft A mutual goal is to determine a regulatory framework
for aircraft that do not fit within the confines of the amateur-built category while preserving the 51 percent rule The FAA is intent on addressing builder assistance activities that fall outside the 51 percent rule
Aerobatics The International Aerobatic Club (lAC) seeks to extend
the fuel-carry exemption that exists for performances to practice flights plus change the rule requiring papershywork in the aircraft for practical and safety reasons lAC also argued that the FAA ramp checks at lAC contest events are unnecessary as lACs thorough inspections of aircraft and paperwork are more than sufficient
Warbirds EAA Warbirds of America is following up summit
discussions by working with warbird industry repshyresentatives and the FAA to further define the FAAs program plan for oversight of vintage and exhibition aircraft Aircraft operating limitations will also be adshydressed this year
Vintage Aircraft Fleet FAA and EAA officials continued discussions on ways
to address the airworthiness needs of the vintage aircraft fleet including modern methods and materials that ofshyten conflict with existing regulations
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
reduce public control of how the FAA exercises its discretionary spending
DOT and FAA have attempted to distract from the user fee issue in their public statements by saying that revshyenue from general aviation would conshytinue to be collected via a fuel tax but they fail to acknowledge that the fuel tax would be increased dramatically and a whole series of user fees would be implemented for FAA services that today do not carry a charge said Doug Macnair EAA vice-president of governshyment relations
New fees known to be in the budshyget proposal as this issue went to press would affect aircraft certification and registration appointment andor desshyignation of designees used to certificate amateur-built aircraft and light-sport airshycraft and airman medical certificates
EAA remains categorically opposed to user fees Macnair added Such a system will not enhance safety it will not improve services and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government II
EAA contends that the current sysshytem of excise taxes on general aviation fuel and airline passenger tickets works and has worked well for nearly 40 years In fact the Airport and Airway Trust Fund received record revenues the past two years and is on course to do so again in 2007
Congress must approve a new fundshying plan or reauthorize the existing one before it expires in September Several congressional leaders have told EAA that they have more questions than answers regarding the user-fee proposals EAA and the GA community will continue to communicate the many flaws of the user-fee proposal to those in congress and elsewhere in government as well as the general aviation community
This is a coordinated effort on the part of the air carriers and the adminshyistration to implement a user fee-based system Macnair said [t must be met with a coordinated effort in defense of general aviation because it threatens to eliminate the freedom of the average American to enjoy flight
Individuals can also have a profound effect on how this plays out Contact
MARCH 2007
your elected representatives to tell them about the seriousness of this isshysue and the direct impact it will have on you your family your business and your community For contact informashytion visit wwwHousegov and wwwSenshyategov To learn more about the user fee issue and why EAA thinks its a bad idea read EAAs briefing paper Go to wwwEAAorg and look in the Advocacy section of the members only area
Top Air Show Performers Locked in for the Big Show
What do Sean D Tucker Patty Wagstaff Kirby Chambliss Debby Rihn-Harvey Mike Goulian Kent Pishyetsch Matt Younkin and Kyle Frankshylin have in common Besides being among the worlds best pilots they are also among the many top pershyformers who have confirmed their appearance at The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration-EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2007
Each of these performers work as a headline act at dozens of air shows throughout the country but they come together at EAA AirVenture to make an all-star roster of the best of the best said Tom Poberezny EAA president who flew as a member of the renowned Eagles Aerobatic Team Air show performers are eager to fly at Oshkosh because it represents a major achievement in their careers flying in front of the most knowlshyedgeable and appreciative audiences on the air show circuit
Also confirmed to appear this year are the AeroShell Aerobatic Team Dan Buchanan Pat Epps David Marshytin and John Mohr Additional air show performers will be announced as they are confirmed
The afternoon air show is an anticshyipated spectacle each day at EAA AirshyVenture providing an exciting way to round out a full day on the Osshyhkosh flightline Prior to each days air show there is also showcase flyshying featuring a variety of aircraft old and new that shows the depth and breath of the aviation community Exact daily performance schedules will be finalized in the weeks prior to EAA AirVenture and will be anshy
nounced on wwwAirVentureorg EM AirVenture 2007 Performers (as of February 1 2007-more will be
added and the list is subject to change withshy
out notice)
bull AeroShell Aerobatic Team T-6s
bull Dan Buchanan Hang Glider
bull Kirby Chambliss Edge 540
bull Pat Epps Aerobatic Bonanza
bull Kyle Franklin Cub Comedy
bull Mike Goulian Extra
bull Debby Rihn-Harvey Hurricane 2
bull David Martin Extra
bull John Mohr Stearman
bull Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
bull Sean Tucker Oracle Challenger
bull Patty Wagstaff Extra
bull Matt Younkin Travel Air Mystery Ship
In Honor of Those Who Have Fallen
People often take pencil rubbings as mementos at EAAs Memorial Wall
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 a solemn dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday morning July 29 to honor those who have gone before us EAAs Memorial Wall located just behind Fershygus Chapel adjacent to Pioneer Airport provides an everlasting tribute to our fallen comrades by memorializing their names on a beautiful wall constructed of stones brought to Oshkosh by EAA members from all over the world
The ceremony includes a special name recognition tribute and a missshying man flyover Each inductee is also remembered in a memory album kept at the chapel It is a wonderful way to honor those that have gone before us Contributions for including a name on the wall are held in EAAs endowshyment in perpetuity To learn how you can include the name of your departed loved one visit wwwEAAorgsupport
4
Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
Subscribe to e-Hot Line EMs free weekly members-only electronic newsletter
To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
55 ~-I~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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eJ
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With $3216 in savings on a LINCOLN MKX you could pay for
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
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Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
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Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
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Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
reduce public control of how the FAA exercises its discretionary spending
DOT and FAA have attempted to distract from the user fee issue in their public statements by saying that revshyenue from general aviation would conshytinue to be collected via a fuel tax but they fail to acknowledge that the fuel tax would be increased dramatically and a whole series of user fees would be implemented for FAA services that today do not carry a charge said Doug Macnair EAA vice-president of governshyment relations
New fees known to be in the budshyget proposal as this issue went to press would affect aircraft certification and registration appointment andor desshyignation of designees used to certificate amateur-built aircraft and light-sport airshycraft and airman medical certificates
EAA remains categorically opposed to user fees Macnair added Such a system will not enhance safety it will not improve services and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government II
EAA contends that the current sysshytem of excise taxes on general aviation fuel and airline passenger tickets works and has worked well for nearly 40 years In fact the Airport and Airway Trust Fund received record revenues the past two years and is on course to do so again in 2007
Congress must approve a new fundshying plan or reauthorize the existing one before it expires in September Several congressional leaders have told EAA that they have more questions than answers regarding the user-fee proposals EAA and the GA community will continue to communicate the many flaws of the user-fee proposal to those in congress and elsewhere in government as well as the general aviation community
This is a coordinated effort on the part of the air carriers and the adminshyistration to implement a user fee-based system Macnair said [t must be met with a coordinated effort in defense of general aviation because it threatens to eliminate the freedom of the average American to enjoy flight
Individuals can also have a profound effect on how this plays out Contact
MARCH 2007
your elected representatives to tell them about the seriousness of this isshysue and the direct impact it will have on you your family your business and your community For contact informashytion visit wwwHousegov and wwwSenshyategov To learn more about the user fee issue and why EAA thinks its a bad idea read EAAs briefing paper Go to wwwEAAorg and look in the Advocacy section of the members only area
Top Air Show Performers Locked in for the Big Show
What do Sean D Tucker Patty Wagstaff Kirby Chambliss Debby Rihn-Harvey Mike Goulian Kent Pishyetsch Matt Younkin and Kyle Frankshylin have in common Besides being among the worlds best pilots they are also among the many top pershyformers who have confirmed their appearance at The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration-EAA AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2007
Each of these performers work as a headline act at dozens of air shows throughout the country but they come together at EAA AirVenture to make an all-star roster of the best of the best said Tom Poberezny EAA president who flew as a member of the renowned Eagles Aerobatic Team Air show performers are eager to fly at Oshkosh because it represents a major achievement in their careers flying in front of the most knowlshyedgeable and appreciative audiences on the air show circuit
Also confirmed to appear this year are the AeroShell Aerobatic Team Dan Buchanan Pat Epps David Marshytin and John Mohr Additional air show performers will be announced as they are confirmed
The afternoon air show is an anticshyipated spectacle each day at EAA AirshyVenture providing an exciting way to round out a full day on the Osshyhkosh flightline Prior to each days air show there is also showcase flyshying featuring a variety of aircraft old and new that shows the depth and breath of the aviation community Exact daily performance schedules will be finalized in the weeks prior to EAA AirVenture and will be anshy
nounced on wwwAirVentureorg EM AirVenture 2007 Performers (as of February 1 2007-more will be
added and the list is subject to change withshy
out notice)
bull AeroShell Aerobatic Team T-6s
bull Dan Buchanan Hang Glider
bull Kirby Chambliss Edge 540
bull Pat Epps Aerobatic Bonanza
bull Kyle Franklin Cub Comedy
bull Mike Goulian Extra
bull Debby Rihn-Harvey Hurricane 2
bull David Martin Extra
bull John Mohr Stearman
bull Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
bull Sean Tucker Oracle Challenger
bull Patty Wagstaff Extra
bull Matt Younkin Travel Air Mystery Ship
In Honor of Those Who Have Fallen
People often take pencil rubbings as mementos at EAAs Memorial Wall
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 a solemn dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday morning July 29 to honor those who have gone before us EAAs Memorial Wall located just behind Fershygus Chapel adjacent to Pioneer Airport provides an everlasting tribute to our fallen comrades by memorializing their names on a beautiful wall constructed of stones brought to Oshkosh by EAA members from all over the world
The ceremony includes a special name recognition tribute and a missshying man flyover Each inductee is also remembered in a memory album kept at the chapel It is a wonderful way to honor those that have gone before us Contributions for including a name on the wall are held in EAAs endowshyment in perpetuity To learn how you can include the name of your departed loved one visit wwwEAAorgsupport
4
Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
Subscribe to e-Hot Line EMs free weekly members-only electronic newsletter
To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
Applications need to be submitted by April I 2007 for inclusion in this years dedication ceremony
us Air Force to Mark 60th Anniversary at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The US Air Force has always had a major presence at EAA AirVenture Osshyhkosh but in 2007 it will kick it up a notch when it commemorates its 60th anniversary The US Air Force will bring its special exhibit Heritage to Hoshyrizons to mark the occasion filling a lOOOO-square-foot pavilion with more than 30 displays recognizing the notashyble people and aircraft that have been part of the Air Forces first 60 years
As one of the Air Forces officially desshyignated events EAA AirVenture will also host a sizable contingent of current milshyitary aircraft during the weeklong event The exact aircraft and appearance dates will be released as they are finalized
The US Air Force has always been very supportive and enthusiastic in its participation at EAA AirVenture featurshying airplanes such as the F-l17 stealth fighter F-16 and C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft in past years up to the amazshying F-22 aerial display that was a highshylight last year said Tom Poberezny EAA president and AirVenture chairshyman We are very excited to host the Air Force at Oshkosh as it commemoshyrates its 60th anniversary recognizing the occasion with fellow aviators from around the world
Along with Air Force headquarters in Washington DC other units supportshying the 60th anniversary EAA AirVenshyture appearance include the Wisconsin Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Air Force ROTC Air Force
Academy liaison officers and Air Force Recruiting Service
In addition the Air Force Recruitshying Service will bring the popular Cross Into the Blue exhibit with several hands-on activities
The anniversary commemoration adds to EAA AirVentures always-popushylar warbird activities The hundreds of warbirds that gather at Oshkosh each year include World War II-era aircraft from the US Air Forces predecessors as well as those from other branches of the US military and other air forces from around the world
For more information visit wwwAirshy
Venturearg
Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin to Speak at Museum
A 8-25 launches off the deck of the USS Hornet in Doolittles Raid in 1942
In April 1942 the situation on the warfront was grim for the United States The]apanese had bombed Pearl Harbor just four months earlier and America needed a victory President Roosevelt and his advisers conceived a plan to deliver that much-needed vicshytory to the US military that came to be known as Doolittles Raid
On March 27 Thomas Griffin one of Doolittles Raiders and the navigashytor in B-25 Plane 40-2303 will speak about this famous and daring mission during a special Winter Speaker series program at the EAA AirVenture Mushyseum The free program begins at 7 pm in the museums Eagle Hangar
Other upcoming museum events bull Open Cockpit Weekend An exshy
tra-special peek into the museums collection April 14-15
bull Pioneer Airport Opening Weekshyend May 5-6
bull Living History Day Step Back in Time at Pioneer Airport May 12
SportAir Workshops Coming to California Michigan
Anyone can learn the skills necessary to build his or her own airplane and EAAs SportAir Workshops are teaching future homebuilders throughout the country Let us help you achieve your dreams of building and flying your own aircraft
On March 24-25 (previously schedshyuled March 17-18) a workshop is scheduled at Watsonville California at Aircrafters on the Watsonville Mushynicipal Airport Classes offered include Composite Construction Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering Electrical Sysshytems and Avionics and Whats Inshyvolved in Kitbuilding
April 14-15 a series of courses is slated for Belleville (Detroit area) Michigan at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology Space remains for Comshyposite Construction Sheet Metal Bashysics Electrical Systems and Avionics Introduction to Aircraft Building and Whats Involved in Kitbuilding
To learn more about these and other scheduled workshops visit wwwSportAirorg
or call Mark Forss at 800-967-5746 ext 2
EAA 8-17 Tour Set to Begin This Month
There are plenty of opportunities to see EAAs beautifully restored and mainshy
tained B-17 Aluminum Overcast when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beshyginning at the end of the month
The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I followed by scheduled stops in Calishyfornia Oregon Washington Idaho Utah and Colorado A fall tour is also planned with locations to be anshynounced at a later date
See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgettashyble flight mission at wwwB17arg
EAA Sport Pilot Programs at Major 2007 Aviation Events
EAA will present the latest sport pishylot information and issue free sport pilot student pilot certificates to EAA members at several major aviation events in 2007 beginning with the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florshy
continued on page 38
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
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Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
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FAA ATTEMPTS
TO LOOSEN GRIP
ON ABANDONED
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT DATA
EAA VAA efforts lead to potential relief for owners and restorers EAA EDITORIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS STAFF
EAAand the Vintage Aircraft Associashytion as well as
other interested individuals and orgashynizations have been working for years to unlock the regulatory vault that holds the orphaned aircraft data necesshysary to maintain vintage aircraft and it appears those efforts could soon begin to payoff
In its proposed reauthorization bill to Congress the FAA has proshyposed legislation that would allow the release of abandoned type cershytificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate data (including b lueshyprints) to individuals upon request so they can maintain the airworthishyness of their vintage aircraft This
MARCH 2007
would remedy the current Catch-22 surrounding orphaned TCs where owners are legally required to mainshytain and modify their aircraft using approved data even though the data is unavailable because the owner of the type certificate cannot be found or is no longer in existence
The legislation would provide aushythority to the administrator to reshylease engineering data possessed by the FAA related to an abandoned type certificate or supplemental type cershytificate for an aircraft engine propelshyler or appliance to a person seeking to maintain the airworthiness of such a product The legislation would also alshylow the release of any associated supshyplier-approved data for that product
This is a direct result of EAA and VAAs ongoing dialogue with the seshynior FAA management team and has been the topiC of considerable exshyamination in recent years at the anshynual EAAFAA Winter Recreational Aviation Summit held in Oshkosh
EAA and VAA are pleased to see some progress after years of work on this complicated issue We appreshyciate the FAAs willingness to work with EAA and EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association as we improve the safe and cost-effective maintenance of vintage aircraft said HG Frautschy the executive director of EAAs Vinshytage Aircraft Association In reshysponse to long-standing requests from EAA the FAA had attempted
6
to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
r--------------------------------- shy
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To start receiving e-Hot Line this week visit the members-only site at wwweaaorgor simply click on the Subscri be to e-Hot Linebox on the home page ~)
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
55 ~-I~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
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ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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to develop a legal process that would allow it to release data from type cershytificates that were obviously abanshydoned But existing laws restricted FAAs ability to release such data beshycause it was deemed to be intellecshytual property even though the owner of record had long since ceased to exist This proposed legislation will go a long way toward helping ownshyers and mechanics gather the inforshymation they need to maintain these historic aircraft
Data could be released provided the following circumstances are met
The certificate containing the reshyquested data is inactive for at least three years
The TC owner of record or the owner of records heir cannot not be located
The designation of such data as pubshylic data will enhance aviation safety
Clearly we do not want to imshy
pinge on the legitimate and legal right of TC or STC owners to mainshytain their data as proprietary inforshymation and profit from that data provided they continue to support the product Frautschy explained We in no way want to harm any individual or company economishycally through this proposal Howshyever for those corporate entities that have been defunct for what is often decades and who are no lonshyger providing support to the owners of their products it falls squarely on the vintage aircraft owners to mainshytain their aircraft in accordance with that original engineering data If it is not available for legal reasons the owner is genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place and indeed safety is ultimately compromised
This proposa l is an excellent start but is by no means the comshyplete solution to the data avail shyability problem for older aircraft Frautschy continued Specifically when known type certificate holdshyers are unwilling to release mainte shynance-related data vintage aircraft owners receive no Continued Opershyational Safety (COS) support of the type certificate as required by FAR 231529 and Appendix G to Part 23
EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Asshysociation will continue to work with the FAA and Congress on this issue as they have recognized the difficulty mechanics restorers and owners have encountered while diligently attemptshying to maintain vintage aircraft to their type certificate requirements
Well keep you advised of the legshyislations specifics when the Bush administrations budget request to Congress is made public Memshybers from both organizations will be encouraged to help support this legislation by contacting their conshygressional representatives when bill numbers and specific legislation beshycome available Since it s likely to have been released between pubshylishing cycles for Vintage AirpLane magazine we suggest checking the EAA and VAA websites at wwwEAA org and www VintageAircraftorg for the latest information
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The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
The VAA annual fund raising campaign fuels VAA activities at AirVenture Oshkosh
HG FRAUTSCHY
For more than three decades the vintage
airplanes and their enthusiasts have had their
own special area during the annual EAA conshy
vention Over the years its been a picturesque
scene of the finest restored airplanes seen in
this country a gathering place for aviation peoshy
ple and their magnificent machines to share
knowledge and friendships Weve been privishy
leged to see many one-of-a-kind airplanes in
our area Remember the Gee Bee R-1 replica
built by Steve Wolf and Delmar Benjamin
How about the lineup of Howards and Cessna
195s We cant forget the special Type Club
parking area where we host many examples
of a particular manufacturers airplane More
recently we ve been the Oshkosh home for the
inspiring National Air Tour the thunderous Trishy
Motor reunion and the American Barnstormers
Tour All of this is possible through the efforts
of the nearly 500 VAA volunteers the volunteer
VAA board of directors and the VAA staff
Their passion is what makes it a great place
to be throughout the week of AirVenture and
why so many visitors and aviation enthusiasts
come back year after year to work relax and enshy
joy aviations premier event EAA AirVenture Oshshy
kosh Its a place to rekindle old friendships and
make new ones A time to relax and enjoy aviashy
tion learn something new and rub elbows with
our fellow aviators As you can imagine it takes
some fairly substantial financial resources to
underwrite such an event and the Vintage area
at EAA AirVenture is no exception
For the past four years the Vintage Aircraft
Association has by necessity elected to unshy
derwrite its EAA AirVenture activities with funds
other than members dues The proceeds from
this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities
and improvements to the VAA area It serves
as working capital for improvements such as
the new kitchen for the popular VAA Tall Pines
Cafe as well as for upkeep of many structures
There s never a shortage of windows that need
caulking doors that need to be replaced and
roofs that need to be repaired Plus every year
something new must be created to serve the
needs of the members and visitors as well
as replace some of our most aged or obsolete
MARCH 2007
structures But how does all of this work get
funded To be certain almost all of the labor
involved is performed by our dedicated and
talented volunteers but what about the cost of
supplies and hardware
Thats where our Friends of the Red Barn
come in - it provides all of us who wish the
opportunity to assist in the vital financial supshy
port of the Red Barn area of EM AirVenture It
gives us the unique opportunity to be an esshy
sential element of an event that has no peer in
the entire world that being the world renowned
annual EM AirVenture Oshkosh gathering
Were most appreciative of the contribushy
tions made by hundreds of VAAers who see
the tangible benefits of supporting their fellow
VAA members in this manner As a critical part
of the VAA budget the fund pays for such dishy
verse items as VAA awards presented during
the annual EAA aircraft awards program speshy
cial recognition for our many volunteers and
expenses associated with our special displays
forums and educational areas such as the
VAA Workshop tent and the Type Club tent
Your annual contribution made in the first
half of 2007 will directly benefit this years conshy
vention activities and programs There are now
seven levels of gifts and recognition including
a new Diamond Plus giving level which entities
you to all benefits plus your choice of a Ken Koshy
tik aviation art print A portion of Kens artwork
can be viewed on his website at wwwKenKotishy
kAviationArtcom
Please consider actively partiCipating in the
2007 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign
You donation may be tax-deductible to the exshy
tent allowed by law and you can enhance your
partiCipation if you work for a matching gift
company You can do so by copying and filling
out the form included on these pages filling
out and sending in the form included in the
mailing that will arrive in your mailbox soon or
by donating online at wwwVintageAircraftorgj
programs redbarnhtml If you desire more inshy
formation concerning the VAAs Friends of the
Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call
at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak
with you
Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feedshying people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Bam more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask uH volunteers are providshying the services where is the expense
Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Bam needs paint new winshydowsills updated wiring and other sunshydry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Bam fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crucial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget
Please help the VAA and our 4OO-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unshyforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more givshying levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activities for donors to be a part of
Your contribution now really does make a difference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do
Here are some of the many activishyties the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites
bull Red Bam Information Desk Supplies bull Participant Plaques and Supplies bullTonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and
Radios Caps for VAA Volunteers bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supshy
plies bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supshy
plies bull Membership Booth Administrative Supshy
plies Signs Throughout the Vintage Area bull Red Bam and Other Buildings Mainmiddot tenance
bullTall Pines Cafe Construction And More
8
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print
Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Bam
1PersonFull Wk
Dilamond Plus $1250
Full Week
21ickels 21ickels 21ickels
2 PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk 2PeopleFull Wk
-~ -VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_____________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
CityStateZip ________________________________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________E-Mail_____________________________________
Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Plus $125000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000 ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) _ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Your Support $___
o Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) Mail your contribution too Please Charge my credit card (below) EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______ PO Box 3086 Signature___________________________________ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form NameofCompany ______________________________________________________
Tile Villtage Aircraft Association is a non-profit edllca tional olgarlization IIIlder IRS SOlc3 rules Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amollnt by which any money (and the value ofallY property otiler than money) contribllted e~ceeds the vallie of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to YOll fo r IRS gift reporting reasons
VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE A I RPLANE 9
I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
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I Editors Note Assembly and Rigging is the ti tle of this ninth installment of the Restoration Corner series Author Gene Morris is an airline captain living in Texas He also serves on the Vintage Aircraft Association Board of Directors
Assembly and Rigging
Now that youve brought your airplane up through all the varishyous stages of rebuildingrestoring you have probably learned all that you can absorb about good working habits You will of course continue with these habits and you will have gotten to know your airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inshyspection authorization (AampPIA) very well by now
Hopefully he can be considered an expert on your airplane If not I would at least contact someone who has been there before even if its by telephone you can pick up a lot of good ideas The Internet is another terrific way to contact other owners and restorers This is not to say that your AampP is not capable but its part of sharing experiences and ideas with each other
My restoration experience is limshyited compared to some but I have helped several people where I and am very happy and flattered to do so
I once flew our old Travel Air 4000 to Hartford Wisconsin from our home (then) near Chicago so the FAA could compare it with Tom Hegys to determine if they were constructed alike They were and they gave him his engine installashytion STC on the grounds that mine once had the same engine installed in 1937
If you are a newcomer to antique or classic airplane circles you will find that nearly everyone is eager to
BY GENE MORRIS EAA 81175 Ale 1877
help you especially if it doesnt cost anything
Tail Surfaces You can probably assemble the
tail feathers all by yourself Just conshytinue with your good habits and be sure to use a level to get things nice and straight
For instance someone with past experience might save you some work with horizontal stabilizer adshyjustments Some vintage aircraft require the installation of washers under the stabilizer leading edge atshytach points or may have more than one bolt hole for mounting these pieces Some knowledgeable tips could prevent you from having to take it apart after youve flown it and found it out of rig The same situashytion exists for some vertical fins
Believe it or not I once saw a turnbuckle tightened up too tight to pivot on an elevator up horn and the turnbuckle failed during a landing flare about four feet above the runway (Editors note-In that case its likely that not only was the nut tightened excessively but that the wrong hardware was used to attach the turnbuckle rod end to the control horn Only clevis bolts are to be used in those applications with the appropriate grip length used to prevent the nut from squeezing the fork end Overtightenshying a too-short bolt can cause the turnshybuckle fork end to bind on the horn or fracture the fork at its base-HGF)
What a landing but there was no damage In your assembly of movshyable items they must be allowed to move
If the empennage is braced with streamline wires treat them careshyfully using masking tape or similar protection on the crescent wrench used to adjust them The tightness will be a consensus between you and your AampP Be sure to guard against pulling the surfaces out of plumb Also you will notice that one end of the wire has right-hand threads while those on the other end are left-hand Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-hand jam nut
Most aircraft have specified limshyits of control surface travel so you should use your bubble protractor for that step
Wings Some folks get the urge to taxi
their pride and joy before installshying the wings A word of caution is in order here On a tail dragger the wings represent a Significant amount of weight aft of the landshying gear This translates into an airshyframe without wings that is very light in the tail and even a slight application of brakes while taxiing could result in a sudden shortening of the propeller How do you supshypose I would know that
Up to now youve slaved over your airplane for months and prob-
REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane N OVEMEBER 1986
10 MARCH 2007
ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
just dont scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch 300-dpi digital photo A JPG from your
25-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine You can burn photos to a CD
or if youre on a high-speed Internet connection you can e-mail them along
with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane (If your e-mail
program asks if you d like to make the photos smaller say no) For more tips
on creating photos we can publish visit VAAs website at wwwvintageaircraftorg
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph
For more information you can also e-mail us at vintageaircrafteaaorg
or call us at 920-426-4825
rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
55 ~-I~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
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ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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ably are still peeling dope off your fingers your wife has thrown away all your dopepaint-laden clothes and I hope somewhere in all the lashyboring you have planned to have a wing-raising party If you are prone to parties this is another for your list dont let anybody stumble into your nice straight stringers etc
Installing wings on an airplane can vary all the way from putting up a simple lift and putting in two bolts (or is it four) as on an Ershycoupe to hanging four wing panels on a biplane
To make it simple and very basic Ill start with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ Cub Taylorcraft etc The wings attach to the fuselage with a bolt at the front spar and one at the rear spar If it were not for your friend holding up the wing tip it would fall to the ground A real must for this operashytion is three or four drift punches to get that initial hold on the holes until you can line them up for the bolts Also you should have a fiber hammer to tap in the bolts Take care not to ruin the threads during this process
Before the wings went up in place you should have fastened the lower strut to the fuselage All that is required now is to raise the strut up to the wing and 10 and behold it will fit perfectly I dont know of an airplane that will not stand upright with just one wing panel-unless its Ken Hydes Jenny I know for a fact that the old Travel Air stood up almost straight with both wings on one side
After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place you will once again get into the cable tension game Thank goodness for ball bearshying pulleys because a little too much cable tension on the old type pulleys can really make for stiff controls
A common error at this point is getting the aileron cables crossed Be sure that you have them properly iden tified and tied off correctly beshyfore putting the wings on
Sometimes if the cables are crossed the movement one way will be heavier than the other Again how
Gene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet NC548Y
do you suppose I would know that There are a couple of things to bear
in mind when rigging the aileron cables Naturally you will want the control wheel or stick to be centered when the ailerons are even That will be your job On most airplanes the ailerons should droop just slightly perhaps 1 8 inch or maybe a little more Rigged thusly the air load will streamline them in flight If this is all done correctly you should not have to touch them again
On this hypothetical airplane we are assembling you will notice that only the length of the rear strut is adshyjustable This is to adjust the proper angle of wash-out at the wing tip (when specified) The length of the front wing spar is fixed to maintain the angle of dihedral as designed into the aircraft
After the two struts are attached to the wing stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage sighting
down the bottom of the wing The wing panel should have a slight twist in it with the trailing edge at the tip being about Vz inch higher than the wing root This is called wash-out and its obtained by inshycreasing the length of the rear strut
Its also a good idea to stand in front of your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and right panels just like you did with your model airplanes Wash-in and wash-out apply to all wings regardless of structure ie struts wires or however they may be attached
Do not under any circumstances allow the wings to be washedshyin (trailing edge at wing tip lower than root rib) This condition will cause the tips to stall first and your airplane will be real nasty to fl y Conversely when the wings have wash-out the wing root stalls first giving a straight-ahead stall as well
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
----
as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
inch print from a commercial source (no home printers please-those prints
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rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
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Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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as retaining aileron control for a longer period of time
Of course you have seen that all fuel lines are in place in that tiny little space between the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the wing lights and the pitotstatic lines
Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings (when used) are in good shape and fastened securely to the airframe We once had a PA-12 in Alaska that nobody could land deshycently We finally determined that the wing fairing was loose just beshyhind the windshield and during the landing flare that little bit of fairing sticking up adversely affected the airflow over the tail surfaces
One more thing about wash-in and wash-out Since the ailerons have the same amount of droop with the stick or wheel centered they will be adjusted correctly Should your airplane fly straight and level hands off and one aileshyron is up and one is down do not re-adjust the ailerons Correct the
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING ~
~- a-- --~ REARWIN SKYRANGER-
1948 LUSCOMBE 8B
condition by lengthening the rear strut to the wing with the Up aileshyron Make the adjustments in small increments then test fly until the ailerons remain even
Dont be hesitant about asking questions and always be observant For instance Cessna 140As and some others with single struts have an ecshycentric bushing at the rear spar fitting to adjust for wing heaviness Some airplanes dont have any wing adjustshyments My 1940 Culver Cadet is one of those and as you might expect it flew wing heavy I did not want to correct it by installing an adjustable aileron tab so I flew it for months with a large rubber band stretched beshytween the stick and the Landing gear lever I finally broke down and put a tab on it
My 1931 American Eaglet has no elevator trim system at all so we carry the rubber band on crossshycountry flights attached to the seat belt and over the stick The resultshying back pressure on the stick cor-
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and you re busy
flying and showing it off If so wed like to hear from you Send us a 4-by-6shy
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rects a slight nose-heavy condition The price of staying original
Biplanes I only have experience with one
biplane our old Travel Air 4000 On that plane the center section is adjustshyable fore and aft which changes the CG location That needs to be done for different engine installations etc
Most biplanes have center secshytions and the sequence for installshying the wing panel is 1) center section 2) lower panels 3) upper panels When the lower panels are installed the tips are supported by the landing wires The tips of the upper panels are supported by the outer interplane struts
Rigging these birds can give one gray hairs because when one wire is adjusted one more will probably need re-adjusting Rigging specificashytions are available for most airplanes and these instructions should defishynitely be followed I would guess that its really a good feeling to put a bishyplane together and have it fly pershyfectly the first time
If the flying and landing wires arent streamlined II into the slipstream they may flutter during flight This condishytion should be remedied immediately as flutter can mean failure
If you are not already familiar with the rod terminals you should know they have a small opening called a witness hole in the side of the shank This is the gauge to assure that the rod end is screwed into the terminal at least that far The proper threading of each end must be verified by insertshying a piece of safety wire into the witshyness hole If the wire goes through not enough threads are engaged
Share your fun and problems Once again you are doing this projshyect for fun or some sort of personal satisfaction and nothing is more gratifying than to share you fun and problems with the rest of us We all love airplanes and airplane people so if this is your first restorashytion project you have much to look forward to when you start flying it to fly-ins especially the greatest of them all Oshkosh ~
12 MARCH 2007
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~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
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phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
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55 ~-I~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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fAA Members who are considershying the purchase or lease of a new Ford Motor Company vehicle should be sure to take advantage of the Ford Partner Recognition Program Your membership benefits qualify you for X-Plan pricing which could save you as much as $3216 on a 2007 LINCOLN MKX
With $3216 in savings on a LINCOLN MKX you could pay for
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EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford Lincoln Mercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar
Get your personal identification number (PIN) and leam about the great value of Partner Recognition X-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligible This offer is available to residents of theUnited States andCanada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or call 800-842-3612
~8 rnazca ~ JAGUAR LIN COL N MERCURY
BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
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Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
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Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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BELLANCA
Some airplanes seem to resist being rebuilt You get a start on them things look as if theyre going along smoothly
and then something happens and you back up two paces Move ahead and then back up again The entire project has a sawtooth progress pattern The only thing that is a given on those projects is that if you dont keep pushshying they arent going to happen If you don t believe that ask John Morshyrison about his Bellanca 260
14 MARCH 2007
First its a straight Bellanca 260 Not a 260A Not a 260B A straight 260 the first of the 260-hp nose-dragging trishyple-tail speedsters from Bellanca Secshyond you need to ask John how far he can throw his complete toolbox when things go very wrong But were getshyting ahead of ourselves
John came into aviation honshyestly-he was born into it His dad flew P2Vs as a Navy reservist when he wasnt shepherding an American Airshylines bird around Plus his maternal grandfather was associated with the
Granville brothers of Gee Bee fame to the pOint that the grandfather and Johns great uncle owned and raced a Gee Bee Model E Sportster (the same airplane that Zantford Granville was killed in) for a short time in the early 1930s
Dad would take my brother and me down to LaGuardia or JFK this was during the early 1970s long beshyfore 911 and the TSA We had the run of Americans 727s 707s BACshy111 s parked at a gate or in the hanshygar John says I spent a good deal
of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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of my childhood building model airshyplanes and reading just about everyshything that had to do with aviation I also had a strong interest in taking things apart to see what made them work Sometimes Id even put them back together
II started flying when I was 16 The official lessons were in a C-1S2 at WashyterburyOxford Connecticut the real lessons were in a 7DC Champ at a grass strip called Candlelight Farms I suppose that is how the bug for older airplanes bit
II attempted to major in mechanishycal engineering and fly at the same time Flying eventually won out over engineering so I transferred to Southshyeastern Oklahoma State University for its aviation program My first real avishyation job was as a lineman for Southshyeasters FBO refueling and tending to the colleges airplanes I did some flight instructing as well while I was at Southeastern By the time I gradushyated I had added CFII and Multi-I to my tickets
John graduated from college and
like every other young pilot found that both his first job and lunch money were illusive
II picked up a job with a flight schoolFAR 135 operator in Laredo Texas doing flight instructing and air taxi flying I was hoping after colshylege to fly with the Air Guard but this was 1982 and there was a glut of airline pilots on furlough going back to Guard and Reserve units due to the PATCO strike early effects of deregushylation Braniff shutting down Frank Lorenzo oil embargos so after about eight months of long days and peashynut butter and jelly sandwiches I was able to go active duty Air Force and right into pilot training
I went through T-37s and T-38s at Vance Air Force Base then transhysitioned into the KC-13S I always thought it sort of ironic that I reshyfueled little airplanes in college so what did the Air Force have me do Refuel bigger airplanes while doing 400 knots
The measure of whether or not a pishylot is truly an av-junkie is whether he gets too much flying on the job and then doesnt need it on the side In this case John is definitely hooked
While I was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York to keep myself in touch with my roots I bought a Cessna 120 that we nickshynamed The Paul Poberezny Special because it was painted in the EAA paint scheme The little airplane folshylowed me around for the rest of my Air Force career and to FedEx
Even though I was flying in the Air Force I kept my CFI active and gave a lot of civilian flight instrucshytion when I was off duty includshying some ATP training for my fellow USAF colleagues
Fortunately the airlines started a huge expansion in the late 80s when Johns initial USAF commitment was up The military flying was rewardshying but my heart was really with the airlines So I took advantage of those SAC alert tours to prepare my resume and send out applications to the airlines
American Airlines had a neposhytism rule which was a bummer beshy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
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507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
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Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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The 260 which includes a cozy back seat is a comfortable ride for four
cause flying for them was my dream new airline but since we were spendshyI was the one they said couldnt be ing our days off in Memphis I began hired because my dad worked there to notice this purple air force morphshyI hadnt given much thought to Fedshy ing there Couple that with its recent eral Express because it was a relatively acquisition of Flying Tigers and its
16 MARCH 2007
The distinctive triple tail of the Belshylanca 260
international routes and flying night freight became more appealing to me So I sent them my resume intershyviewed and was offered a job I have been with them nearly 17 years now most recently as a captain and check airman on MD-lls
I married and was expecting our first child early in my FedEx career It wasnt long before the old C-120 wasnt going to work as a family airshyplane It just so happened that a rattyshylooking Cessna 170A that I knew about became available So I rationalized the need for a back seat and bought it I flew it exactly once before deciding some of the wiring needed work and the panel needed rebuilding Andshywell you know the rest One thing leads to another and I found myself refurbishing the entire airplane
I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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I was really close to having it flyshying again when another FedEx pilot walked up with a check and said I want your 170 and I flinched I tried to go a year without another airplane and should have looked for a 12-Step Airplane Junkie Recovery Program
John had already decided he needed another four-place airplane but this time he decided he wanted something that was faster but still had a little character Speed wasn t everything
I was enamored of the triple-tail Bellancas especially the 14-19-3s I flew one while I was in college and
I WAS
fell in love with them Even though they are a nosedragger they are still a Cruise master
Looking through Trade-a-Plane the few available seemed to be runshyning $20000 to $30000 but they were then 35-year-old airplanes with the original fabric run-out engines and obsolete radios No one to my knowledge had yet to thoroughly reshystore a 260
In the course of his searching he contacted the Bellanca-Champion Club And one of its members said he had a 260 project he might be willshying to sell
I jump seated up to Milwaukee to look at it and it was definitely a project as it was taken completely apart Whoever had owned it before had stopped partway through a total restoration The fuselage had been reshycovered in Poly-Fiber and the engine
was in boxes However a lot of new ECI parts were included
The airplane had some modificashytions such as aux fuel tanks in the wings main gear doors and a new instrument panel The good part was that I could get a look inside the wings and see that the wood was in excellent condition
The seller was running an FBO that he was trying to make into a reshypair station specializing in Bellancas and said hed bolt it together and I could fly it out of there in short orshyder I should have known that nothshying goes that easily But we made a
deal and I gave him 50 percent to get started on the airplane
John waited a few
of it and stand in line beshyhind the IRS in bankruptcy court for maybe 10 cents on the dollar or pay off the existing bank lien on the airshyplane and take the project on myself I decided to do the latter and thats when Jim and Rosie Stark came into the picture
I heard about Jim through the grapevine He was reputed to be a great wood and fabric guy He had just finished up a Stearman project and was looking for something else to try So I ran up to Milwaukee to visit with him I was really impressed by the workmanship on the Stearman as well as his Steen Skybolt project with a 200-hp Ranger He also was a partner in a Viking so he had some knowledge of Bellancas Jim agreed to take on the Bellanca project which was a blessing as my wife and I were now expecting our second child
I got a phone call from Jim a few
days later letting me know that he already had the airplane in his shop in Sullivan Wisconsin I commented that was quick but he said he was worried about the IRS seizing everyshything at the FBO even though I had cleared up the bank lien and had title to the airplane
When John was able sit back and study the airplane he realized that maybe hed done okay despite the aggravations hed just been through
The previous owner used the airshyplane to commute between his busishynesses in Birmingham Alabama and Minneapolis He was the one who had the aux wing tanks and gear doors installed Plus he jammed a lot of stuff into the panel Unfortunately between the time I first looked at the airplane and Jim moved it to his place several of the radios including the Stormscope disappeared Howshyever I figure that for a little more than the going price of a flying 260 I now had known quantity with good spars fresh fabric and a fresh engine
Even though a lot of work had been done on the airplane there was still a lot to do so John and Jim went to work The Morrisons decided that the airplane might as well have a proper rebuild not the bolt-it-toshygether-and-fly-it concept that started the ordeal
John says From the onset Jim wasnt very pleased about the tapes on the fuselage so he redid them Then to make matters worse he was spraying and sanding the finish when he found static electricity or someshything had sucked the fiberglass insushylation up and it was stuck to the back side of the fabric That wouldnt be a big deal but you could clearly see in the outside surface where it was stuck to the inside Jim finally got that straightened out but not without a lot of sanding and elbow grease
If we had it to do over again we would have been better off stripping the fuselage and starting over We also redid the panel and yanked out a lot of the extra gauges and radios At the same time we installed a GNC-300 to replace the missing DME and ADE
As the airplane was going together VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ENAMORED
WITH THE
TRIPLEshy
TAIL
BELLANCAS -John Morrison
weeks and then a month Then at six weeks when he hadnt heard anything from the seller about progress on the airplane he made the call
I had a little troushyble getting through but when I did I found the IRS was shutting down the FBO I weighed the options wash my hands
Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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Apair of under-wing fairings that are vaguely reminiscent of the landing gear fairing pods on the Curtiss P-40 hide the actuating mechanism for the Bellancas retractable landing gear_
John had to do something about all those boxes with engine parts in them
I took everything I could find that looked like it belonged in an enshygine over to Glenn Millard The enshygine is an IO-470F and appeared to be in pretty good shape which wasnt hard to see because nothing was asshysembled So Glenn spread everything out did an inventory then built me a new engine which has been running great so far Also weve added GAMI injectors and an engine analyzer that shows that at 65 percent power were burning about 11 gallons per hour at 160 knots true airspeed
The fuel and hydraulic systems are pretty complex so we called the Bellanca factory for some advice We also needed their help in rigging the airplane This was in 1998 and they werent much help because they were barely staying in business Now howshyever the company is owned by sevshyeral former employees It is doing business as Alexandria Aircraft LLC and they are great to work with
We should also mention Tom Witshymer of Witmers Aircraft Services in Pottstown Pennsylvania who proshyvided a lot of assistance and is a goldshymine of knowledge on these airplanes
I was never a fan of the original 1960 factory paint scheme of red yelshylow black and white However the factory schemes on the tail-wheeled
18 MARCH 2007
Cruismasters really complemented the lines of the airplane I came up a variation of that while on one of my 12-day FedEx trips through Asia
Jim introduced me to Randy Efshyfinger at Center Aviation in Watershytown Wisconsin His shop did the paint and upholstery after Lisa picked out the fabrics I went to the Supershyflight forums at Oshkosh and Dip Davis showed me how easy it is to do a spot repair on Superthane which is why I chose that paint
The internal antennas are from Advanced Aircraft Electronics I wanted to put an ADC oil filter on it but we werent sure it would fit so while we were at Oshkosh in 1998 Jim borrowed a filter from the ADC people at their booth and we drove down to Watertown to see if it would fit and it did
The airplane finally came to Memshyphis on Memorial Day of 1999 We took it to AirVenture 2000 but stayed only for the first four days of the flyshyin Jim and Rosie called me from the awards ceremony and told me that the airplane won the Reserve Grand Champion-Contemporary Award which positively blew me away I never expected anything like that
Just because the airplane had been restored doesnt mean John either stopped learning about it or stopped working on it (unfortunately)
After I started flying it I found one of the airplanes two weak points is its Rube Goldberg fuel system It has 90 gallons spread among five tanks with two selector valves but only two fuel gauges one for the main tank selected and the other for the aux tank selected You have to be religious about managing the fuel I wish there was a way to STC the MDshyIIs fuel system controller into it In the meanwhile the Masten engine analyzer with the fuel totalizer funcshytion and the clock will have to do
I had been flying the airplane a couple of years when I made a mashyjor oops and discovered the other weak point I had removed the coshypilot floorboard and was under the panel when I barely bumped the gear handle and the manual hydraulic pump handle Just that fast the right main retracted and dropped the wing to the floor
I crawled out from under the airshyplane walked around it once turned around and threw my entire tool chest out the door I was not a happy camper but the airplane wasnt done messing with me
II As we were trying to jack the airshyplane up and get the gear leg down the other one folded My tools were already scattered around out front or I would have thrown them again It turns out
continued 01 page 40
Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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Hors ower Is More etter
the Luscombe Assoc BY GERRY SHEAHAN
At the Lusshycom be forum during this past years EAA AirVenture there was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of different engines and engine conshyversions in the standard Model 8 Luscombe What inspired this discussion was a chance encounter I had a few days earlier with a Luscombe Association member from Georgia As we spoke I menshytioned to him that my airplane had an 0-320 lS0-hp Lycoming He imshymediately said that it was a convershysion he hoped to do on his 8S-hp 8E and he pressed me for many deshytails on the conversion itself and how the performance was improved Alshythough I bought the airplane with that engine Ive owned it since 1976 20 MARCH 2007
(no thats not a typo) so I had a fair amount of inshy
formation to share As a result we spoke for quite some time and I gave him as much honest inshyformation as I had as well as a coushyple of opinions
Without intending to Im afraid I might have disappointed him To summarize our conversation I seemed to be telling him If you want a faster airplane buy a faster airshyplane Dontpush a 100-mph wing
than it reshyally wants to go
I thought about that conversation for a couple of days and those thoughts led to the discussion at the Oshkosh forum Steve Krog who heads up the Lusshy
combe Associations newsletshyter efforts thought that topiC would make an article that could give a difshyferent perspective to many members thinking of doing an engine change or upgrading to a different Luscombe with a different engine He tells me that the Association gets lots of quesshytions on this (So do we here at EAA VAA headquarters-HGF)
While the majority of my 1000shyplus hours of Luscombe time is in my lS0-hp powered airplane at last count Ive soloed 16 different Lusshycombes with engines big and small And that includes two clip-wing Luscombes thank you Bill Bradford and Chuck Forrester With that in mind the following is simply my opinion on different engine combishynations in the Model 8 airframe
65-hp Lycoming If you see a Luscombe cowling with a small
dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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dipstick immediately behind the prop thats a 65-hp Lycoming Its a smooth-running engine that doesn t seem to produce the power of an equivalent-rated Continental (Look at the length and pitch of the prop it seems to bear that out) Many have been converted to Continentals for that reason There arent many small Lycomings around anymore
65-hp Continental Probably the most common engine powshyering Luscombes today Its light weight makes for a very nice flying airplane it flies like a leaf That is especially true if efforts are made to reduce the overall weight of the airplane While the lack of a starter and electrical system reduces the airplanes utility it is light-sport airshycraft eligible which increases its deshysirability Some old-timers talk about the pull-type starters with a cable or rope into the cockpit that were inshystalled on some 65-hp Continentals especially in Aeronca Chiefs To me those starters fall into the bigfoot category Ive never seen him either (J have a cab le-actuated McDowell starter on my Aeronca Super Chief It was installed as standard equipment on the 65-hp Aeronca Chief 85-hp Sushyper Ch ief and on a number of Taylorshycraft airplanes built right after World War II It works great if the engine is in tune and you dont abuse the starter by yanking on the handle Before you ask no I wont sell it-HGF)
75-hp Continental The origshyinal 75-hp engines in Luscombes were fuel-injected units in Deluxe 8Cs I have flown one of them and remember it was a bit problematic to start when hot The lack of parts and maintenance knowledge of the Ex-Cell-O units led to many of them being converted to carburetors Also many A65s have been converted to A75s but I put that in quotes beshycause to do a true conversion you have to change to four-ring pistons Some will say yo u just change the timing and make a minor carbureshytion change Not really In either case what is true for a 65 hp is true
for a 75 hp no electrical system but a nice flying airplane if kept light
If you want afaster airplane
buy afaster airplane
Dont push alOO-mph wing
faster than it really wants to go
85-hp Continental My dad and I owned one of these Luscombes for years before I bought my airplane The electrical system battery starter voltage regulator wiring two gas tanks lights radios instruments extra trim parking brake and upshyholstery were nice but the perforshymance of the airplane suffered as a result And the extra 10 or 20 hp wasnt enough to overcome the exshytra weight It started well it ran well and the airplane flew well but it didn t have the lightness on the controls the lighter airplanes did On hot days when many people like to fly a heavy 85-hp Luscombe doesnt get off well and doesnt climb that great Even here in Wisconsin in summer we had to be a bit selecshytive on the strips we flew into or the loads we carried or both
90-hp Continental Better than the 85 hp because it can operate in a slightly different rpm range with a different prop While the weight is often the same it gets off better and climbs better for that reason There have been a few converted to a 90
hp with no electrical system a good friend owns one and Ive flown it a number of times Its a performing airplane but a starter is a nice thing to have and he doesnt
lOO-hp 0-200 Continental This is a conversion they werent built this way The primary reason for the modification was the shortshyage and expense of 85-hp crankshyshafts While this might seem like a natural route to go for an upgrade think it through A good friend spent time effort and money to reshyplace the 90 hp in his Cessna 140 with an 0-200 and in the end he insisted that his performance at best was no better than the 90 hp and actually believed it went down The reason Youll be using a certified prop on that 0-200 and most certishyfied 0-200 props are off Cessna 150s and are only 69 inches long Also an 0-200 is slightly wider so your baffling wont fit and youll have to do some cowling work Lastly there is the paperworkapproval issue to deal with Given the new position of the FAA concerning field approvals and one-time STCs (which is pretty much no more of either) youll have to jump through a number of hoops that have surprised people once they were already committed to the project Do your homework before starting this conversion And then realize you might not achieve the performance improvements you hoped unless you experiment with different props that might not be leshygal on that 0-200 Especially think it through if you already have a 90 hp
Lycoming Conversions 0-235 0-290 and 0 -320 To my knowlshyedge neither the McKenzie nor the Larsen conversions are currently on the market so doing one of them would be a paperwork challenge or might not even be possible unless you go experimental jll just address the installation in brief and the airplane that results On my 0-320 McKenshyzie conversion the battery is moved aft one extra bay making installashytion and servicing difficult because
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
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is through thethe only access ~~~~~~~~i~~~~~ cockpit There is apshyproximately 14 pounds of lead bolted on various pOints of the tail The firewall needs beefing up to go from a three-point to a five-point engine mount The Lycoming has a starter gear on the front of the engine requiring a new nose bowl or reworking the existing Luscombe one There are a number of ways this can be done Mark Anshydersons numerous conversions use a Piper-type nosebowl It looks nice but like other similar fiberglass units it no longer looks like a Luscombe Ive seen a Lycoming T-8F wearing a drastically reworked Luscombe cowlshying that is longer but looks original right down to the nosebowl Nice but massive work The truth is many modified nosebowls (mine included) are not very attractive
The good news Lycoming enshygines produce more power and ofshyten have parts that are more readily 22 MARCH 2007
~~~i~~~~~~sect~ air loads on the control surfaces
)jt==lJr- are higher making
available than some small Contishynentals Lycoming engines make the airplane get off and climb faster as well as cruise faster though in the case of an 0-235 or an 0-290 perhaps not that much faster
The bad news Lycoming Lusshycombes are typically heavier perhaps much heavier after the conshyversion reducing the useful load Not only is considerable work inshyvolved from nose to tail (literally) but also the resulting airplane loses the lightness of control that lighter airplanes have Because it weighs more it stalls faster making approach and touchdown speeds higher Because its going faster the
the stick forces heavier As much as I like my airplane and
the way it climbs it doesnt fly like a Luscombe anymore The front end doesnt even look like one
If you are considering upgrading your horsepower or buying an airshyplane with a bigger engine first ask yourself Why am I doing this If your answer is for better takeoff and climb capability just know that going from a 65 hp to 85 hp wont accomplish that because most 85shyhp airplanes have weight penalties that increase utility but reduce flyshying qualities If your answer is that you want a faster airplane your wing was designed to go about 100 mph and if you push it faster youll pay the price in induced drag Inshyduced drag is lift you dont use and it means your airplane is not flying efficiently Want proof My 150-hp Luscombe will cruise 140 mph or a
bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
This article appears courtesy of the Luscombe Association
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hartford WI 53027 Phone 262-966-7627
Fax 262-966-9627 E-mail sskrogluscombeassocorg Website wwwLuscombeAssocorg
Dues $25 US ampCanada $30 Intl Newsletter Luscombe Association
Newsletter 6year
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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bit more but its burning 10 gallons an hour At the same speed my 180shyhp RV-6 is only burning 6 gallons because it was designed to cruise faster Overall Lycomings are thirstshyier and your range will be reduced unless you slow down to Continenshytal speeds
Final thought It was common for airplane owners back in the 50s and 60s to increase speed by changshying the pitch of the prop or installshying a cruise prop where the rpm stayed the same but the cruise speed increased due to the prop taking a bigger bite of air with each revolushytion What many of them didnt understand was the relationship beshytween manifold pressure and rpm Just because your tach says your enshygine isnt turning fast doesnt mean it isnt working hard Ten-speed bishycycles are nice but its hard to pedal uphill in 10th gear If your prop has been on the airplane for a long time and is taking too big a bite your enshygine is doing the same thing Check the length and pitch of your prop Make sure it s correct for your enshygine and that you can turn rated rpm in the air using a digital tashychometer through the windshield The correct prop might help overshycome what you perceive as a lack of takeoff and climb performance The wrong prop cant pedal up that hill in 10th gear
For other Luscombe resources visit VAAs Type Club pages at www VintageA ircraftorgtype
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
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Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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Recollections of Chicagos
CURTISS-REYNOLDS pA I R o R T
One of the golden age of aviations jewels BY KENNETH MCQUEEN
the heady days of the 1920s as the trauma of World War I began to fade aviation ofshyfered an attractive and seemingly endless promise for the future Improvements in aircraft and engine design resulted in veshy
hicles relating much more closely to airplanes we see toshyday than to those of the preceding decade
Late in 1929 to the northnorthwest of Chicago Curshytiss-Reynolds Airport was established for private and comshymercial aviation Located at Shermer and North Lake Avenues it was a mile or two northwest of the village of Glenview which in that period boasted the grand populashytion of 1900 souls (now more than 20 times larger) The airports name which differed at times was to honor avishyation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and the banker who financed its development
The expansive spirit of the country at the time the airshyport was started tended to affect its features Private aviashytion was seen as the next big leisure activity and airports were to exhibit characteristics of country clubs To this end the entry area of this 4S0-acre airport was made attractive with landscaping around the parking lot between Shermer Avenue and the hangar Also on the operational side of the hangar large elevated and covered observation decks were installed in expectation of many casual spectators Other amenities including a restaurant were installed
The hangar was steel and roomy with plenty of windows and large access doors They consisted of five connected sections oriented north and south near Shermer Avenue with a concrete apron along its east side Although the flyshying field was equipped with two runways the good grass sod was most often used especially by small airplanes
The brand new airport was christened just nine days before the market crash marking the beginning of the Great Depression Despite the dampening effect of the countrys financial problems during the decade of the 1930s Curtiss-Reynolds was witness to a rich and varied scene of aviation activity
This account is nothing more than a series of homely recollections by a then-young person who lived less than a mile southward and to whom the airport became a secshyond home To he and his friends there was always a good reason for a bike ride up there to see what was going on
Does anyone remember Colonel Roscoe Turner He was a flamboyant figure of a flier in those days appearing in his uniform of riding pants knee-high boots militaryshystyle coat and cap plus a white scarf His airplane at Curshytiss-Reynolds was a Lockheed Vega As a tireless promoter he was not above commercialization and his airplane was boldly emblazoned with the name Curlee Clothes after a clothing line of the time
Always the clown Turner was once seen with one foot in a tail wheel dolly using it as a big roller skate and getshyting a laugh out of his friends and audience
There were plenty of airplanes to check out in the hanshygar including Wacos Aeronca C-3s Taylorcraft Stinsons Beech Staggerwings a Boeing tri-motor and a Davis parashysol Another parasol probably one of a kind languished in the hangar The wing planform was a perfect circle enough to give an aerodynamicist the willies with the asshypect ratio of 10 Its ailerons extra large in proportion to the rest of the wing to eke out a modicum of roll authorshyity looked incongruous (Editors Note This was undoubtshyedly the Nemeth Umbrella Plane built in the early 1930s and last seen by the late lim Barton languishing on the dump heap at nearby Palwaukee Airport sometime around World War ll-HGF)
Another unique resident was the Flying Flea Henri Mishygnet its developer moved to this country from France and settled in the south hangar section at Curtiss-Reynolds For several years he and his group worked on improvements to the airplane in a walled-off corner of this hangar
One afternoon the Flying Flea group scheduled a deadshystick landing test The engine was cut with the airplane at several hundred feet altitude and it proceeded to glide in successfully despite a somewhat rock-like steep glide anshy
24 MARCH 2007
Aviation cadet quarters
gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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gle The group was very happy with the outcome One morning the Graf Zeppelin the majestic German
dirigible paid a visit to the airport while on a tour of the United States During the period when people were on their way to work this huge vehicle spent a protracted amount of time loitering at low altitude in the vicinity undoubtedly waiting for its tethering crew to arrive A major recollection of this event by local residents was of the resulting unprecedented traffic jam that stretched for miles on all roads to the airport
The National Air Races were held at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1930 Certain small boys were allowed out onto a flat part of their grandfathers house roof to better be able to see the pylon racers Among those raced was the Gee Bee (not seen again by one observer until in tight formation flights with a Howard DGA at EAA AirVenture 2000)
The authors father out of work at the time due to the depression put on his World War I Army uniform and had a job directing traffic at the airport during the races
Afterward the disshymantled grandstands were stacked in a high orderly pile in an isoshylated building on the south edge of the airshyport For probably no
good reason a door to this building was not locked and small boys were able to get in and climb around in the huge pile of grandstand parts An airport employee knew they were up there and shouted at them but was helpless in attempts to reach them It was with great juvenile glee that they realized their safety in lofty hiding places
During one period a feeder service was established by United Airlines linking Curtiss-Reynolds with the Chicago municipal airport (now Midvay) A Boeing 247 loaded passengers one afternoon and took off turning to a heading for Chicago At this point an engine quit Withshyout even a wing-waggle the airplane continued on course with a feathered prop obviously preferring to land in Chicago with its extensive maintenance facilities
Early during the airports existence Chicago radio stashytion WGN erected a tall guyed transmission tower close
VINTAGE A I RPLAN E 25
26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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26 MARCH 2007
Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
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507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
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Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
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issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
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phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
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Steannan PT-17
A few of the airplanes and places seen by the author at the airport during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s
by west of Shermer Avenue It was like the old adage You could tell it was an airport by the flight obstruction Although it seemed outrageously in the way nobody ever tangled with either the guy wires or with the mast itshyself WGNs transmission tower is now 4 15 miles directly west of OHare airport on the west side of Route 53
On weekend afternoons a geshynial young man named Jerry and dressed in a suit and tie had the job of hawking airplane rides for $5 You could always hear Jerry or see him waving a book of tickshyets One day to the authors comshyplete surprise Jerry called to him Ken youre always here help fill this airplane Before I knew it I was clambering into a Stinson Reliant with other people for a free first flight It was a never-toshybe-forgotten thrill actually beshying up in the air and seeing the North Shore communities and various landmarks like the beaushytiful BaHai Temple in Wilmette I was forever after indebted to Jerry I still remember the pilots name he was Slim Savage
A lot of gOings-on at the airshyport were simple and hands-on like people out in the sunshine re-covering a fabric wing A long needle was used stitching through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
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ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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the wing from upper surface to lower and back again fasshytening the fabric on left and right sides of each rib
On a particular weekend the wind was strong out of the west but not too high to prevent flying This prompted a number of attempts at really slow flight across the ground At any given time several airplanes could be seen over the airport heading west and trying to be the slowest An Aeronca C-3 managed to get down to about zero groundshyspeed before stalling out
Special aviation events were staged at Curtiss-Reynolds in 1933 in connection with the Chicago Worlds Fair During one air show a small open pusher plane was flying erratically at low altitude in front of the audience when the befuddled pilot pulled back power and called out to those below How do I get this thing down
An attempt was made from the field one summer for a flight endurance record by a monoplane named the Quesshytion Mark for the occasion (The airplane was an Army Air Corps Atlantic-Fokker C-2A trimotor Flying over the Los Angeles area the Air Corps crew set a world record for enshydurance with the Question Mark in the winter of 1929) Inshyflight refueling was accomplished by a system light-years simpler than the means by which present-day military aircraft are kept aloft A hose with a nozzle was trailed beshylow the refueling plane and a crew member on the Quesshytion Mark refilled the tanks by gravity feed
The airplane flew around seemingly forever It could be seen by day or heard by night droning in endless circles throughout the vicinity At times it was forced to fly in other areas to avoid bad weather At the presshyent time the outcome of this old-time protracted effort remains a question mark in the mind of the writer (Ive fOllnd no evidence of a record being set with this airplane at Curtiss-Reynolds any input from our readers would be appreshyciated-HGF)
In 1936 the Navy established a presence at the airport
28 MARCH 2007
leasing the northernmost sections of the hangar Operashytions included a naval reserve unit with Grumman FJshytype biplane fighters and other single-engine Navy types Training of nava l aviation cadets also was conducted
At one point a snow fence was erected in an east-west direction all the way across the center of the field probashybly in connection with some drainage rehabilitation projshyect Wouldnt you believe it but an FJ returning at night ran smack dab into it while taxiing It was a forlorn sight out there the next day
Late in the 1930s the US Army Air Corps predecessor to the US Air Force established an aviation cadet trainshying facility at the airport run by a civilian contract orshyganization The two-story barracks building was located kitty-corner on the southwest edge of the airport housing both Army and Navy cadets
The Army used the good old Stearman biplane for flight training One incident is remembered in which two were landing simultaneously and unfortunately in the same airspace The resulting very-low-altitude collision comshypletely shredded the airplanes The single mass of wreckage was at the terminus of a path of wood fragments with the left wings of one airplane jutting vertically out of the pile Equally strange it seems that nobody was really hurt
In this period hostilities in Europe were becoming inshycreasingly ominous In 1939 and 1940 our country still was not ready to go to war However the Navy was desirshyous of expanding its Glenview operations and early in 1940 it bought Curtiss-Reynolds Airport and surrounding acreage which included Pickwick golf course for what was to become the Naval Air Station Glenview The airshyport owners were paid about one-sixth of what originally had been invested to build the airport in the inflated conshyditions of 1929
The countryside was transformed Quite a few houses acquired in the purchase were moved to new locations
using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
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EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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using a house-movers roadway constructed of large timshybers and sporting curves turns and branches These beshycame homes for base staff at their new spots around the remainder of the golf course
Long military-style runways were laid plus two veryshylarge-diameter circular concrete pads In line with the expected concentration on primary flight training with N3N Yelow Peril biplanes these circular takeoff and landing areas permitted a much higher density of opshyerations than possible with relatively narrow runways due to the relatively short ground runs of this aircraft type Initial climb-out and final approach directions were flexible depending only on wind direction and not on runway orientation
With this arrangement it was amazing to see how many N3Ns could be taking off and landing at the same time From our home it was quite a sight A modicum of longitushydinal and lateral spacing was all it took and a lot of airplanes were passing over your roof in a short period of time
The only untoward incident recollected with regard to the base had to do with a Navy fighter taking off on Runway 9 Some problem obviously eXisted because just a little off the ground beyond the east base boundary and road the airplane pancaked into the west side of the north-south railroad embankment leapfrogged over the tracks and belly-flopped in on the opposite side with very little speed left The pilot sustained a cut finger while exitshying the airplane
The impact shifted a stretch of the entire embankment and its railroad tracks to the east a sort of a joggle Five minutes later the Hiawatha passenger train from Chicago to Milwaukee came past at 60 miles per hour The day continued to be lucky the train navigating the jog withshyout leaving the tracks Wonder what kind of a dipsy-doo it was for the riders
By now Glenview NAS itself is history the base decomshy
missioned all the concrete pulvershyized structures and fixtures gone and the entire property returned to civilian uses
The only remaining parts-the venerable Curtiss-Reynolds hanshygar the control tower and a pair of the adjoining pod facades-are now a historic site Memories of the old airport of which it was a part now exist only with historians and among those who were fortunate enough to have been there It was a remarkable period with a simplicity and a freedom fondly remembered The spirit endures today among those in aviation for its enjoyment and especially among individuals willing to commit in the flourishing build-your-own-airplane arena
To learn more about the Glenshyview Hangar One Foundation and the new Naval Air Station Glenview Museum visit wwwHangarOneorg The museum located at 2040 Lehigh Avenue Glenview Illinois is open weekends Saturday from 1000 am to 500 pm and Sunshyday from 12 pm to 500 pm Other times for tour groups can be arranged with a phone call to 847-657-0000
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
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me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
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AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
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Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
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507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
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508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
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Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
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John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
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Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
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John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
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Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
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Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
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Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
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Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
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DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
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Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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In the wee hours of the morning of August 272006 a CRJ-100 was cleared by the tower of the Lexington Kenshytucky Blue Grass Airport to take off from Runway 22 a 7300-foot long runway As most of us know the crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 26 which is only 3500 feet long and atshytempted to take off The airplane ran off the end of the runway impacting the airport perimeter fence and trees and crashed All but one of the people aboard the airplane died and the airshyplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire (The first offishycer was the only one to survive He lost a leg and suffered brain injuries)
I know that many of us in the genshyeral aviation world were asking these questions How could they have done that Didnt they check their compass and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) with the runway heading Obvishyously they didnt and Ill address that in just a little bit
Earlier this week the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and they show that the pilot and copilot talked about their kids and their dogs as they taxied to line up on the runway The chatter was in violation of an FAA regulation that bans nonessential cockpit conversashytion during taxi takeoff and landing The last word recorded on the cockshypit voice recorder was the pilot saying whoa just before the Bombardier reshygional jet smashed through a fence at the end of Runway 26 became briefly
30 MARCH 2007
BY DOUG STEWART
HAT check airborne and then crashed in a field
Now these were professional pishylots flying under Part 121 of the CFRs which strictly regulate things like stershyile cockpits and other essential items of effective crewcockpit resource manshyagement (CRM) Even with the regulashytions that they were obliged to observe they managed to make some horrible mistakes and decisions and as a result 49 people are no longer with us
But what about all of us who do not have to fly with that type of regulashytion Is there anything that we can take from this accident that might preshyvent us from coming to a similar cashytastrophe Absolutely even if we are flying a Single-seat airplane that was built in the 30s and we are operating out of a sleepy grass airstrip
Clearly the biggest mistake the pishylots of the CRJ made was to take off on the wrong runway Early on in my flight-instructing career I came up with an acronym to help keep me as well as all my clients from making that same mistake (along with a coushyple of others) The acronym is HAT check standing for heading altimshyeter transponder
As I line up for takeoff on the runshyway the first thing I do is take care of the H (for heading) of the HAT check to ensure that the runway heading my compass and my directional gyro (OG) are all in agreement If anyone of the three is in disagreement then there is definitely a problem that needs to be resolved prior to applying takeoff power Failure to do so might gain you
an appellation similar to one gained by a Curtiss Robin pilot a Mr Corrishygan numerous years ago
I know I am not the only pilot who has announced as I back-taxied on the runway of a small nontowered airport Boondocks traffic Super Cruiser backshytaxiing Runway 29 as I eagerly set my OG to 290 degrees so as to minimize my time prior to takeoff Of course the only problem was that I was heading 110 degrees as I did all of this
The only thing that saved me that late afternoon as I took up an easterly heading after departure (according to my OG) was that the sun was shining directly in my eyes Something was obshyviously wrong In this somewhat hushymorous (and embarrassing) anecdote the only thing injured was my ego
But when we are operating at a busy airport with multiple runways and kick up the ante even more by adding nighttime to the mix there is no doubt whatsoever that ensuring that your OG (or HSI) your compass and the runshyway heading are all in agreement will lead to greater longevity as pilots
The next letter in the HAT check acronym A for altimeter is not as critical as the H if operating in dayshytime visual meteorological condishytions (VMC) but it could lead to an early demise if it is dark out or there are clouds obscuring your vision outshyside of the airplane Again I know I am not the only pilot who has misshytakenly set my altimeter having an error of 1000 feet Now if you have set your altimeter 1000 feet too low
the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
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AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
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ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
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the possibility of coming to a screechshying halt on the downwind is nowhere near as great as when you do the opshyposite and set it 1000 feet too high
Just a few weeks ago I was working with a client in my PA-l2 As we apshyproached the airport and were descendshying to pattern altitude I noticed the houses appeared to be getting much bigger than they usually do Questionshying my client as to proper pattern altishytude I got the correct answer but when I asked how much further we might be descending I was a bit dismayed to hear II another 800 feet (Indeed the altimeter showed another 800 feet to descend to pattern altitude) I sugshygested that we ignore the altimeter for the time being and fly out the winshydow and that we check the altimeter once we were ground-bound When we did that the altimeter indicated we were 1000 feet above the ground Obshyviously if this incident had occurred at night or in low instrument meteoroshylogical conditions (IMC) I would most likely not be writing this article
The last letter in the HAT check acshyronym is T for transponder set to altishytude I know that many of our vintage aircraft might not even have a transhysponder and some of you who have one dont like to use it However I make a point of turning mine on if for no other reason than the fact that it might give a heads-up of my presshyence to one of the many pilots who are zooming around in their glass-paneled aircraft hardly ever looking outside of the cockpit With their traffic informashytion service (TIS) systems at work disshyplaying all the transponder replies on one of their big glass screens hopefully my blip will appear there and even if they dont see me from their window as they fly by they will be aware of my company and avoid me
Another reason for ensuring that the transponder has been set to altishytude prior to takeoff when departing into Class C or B airspace is to avoid having departure control ask you to recycle your transponder (thats the controllerS nice way of saying Turn it on dummy)
Had the pilots of Comair flight 5191 checked their HATs at the door there
might not have been an accident that morning But another thing that conshytributed to the accident chain was the fact that the pilots did not maintain a sterile cockpit Under Part 121 of the CFRs they were mandated to do this but pilots operating under Part 91 are not However we should all take note that if a sterile cockpit works well in an airline cockpit we would be wellshyadvised to adopt a similar policy in the cockpits of the aircraft we fly
If all of us were to embrace the conshycept of limiting our cockpit conversashytions with our passengers to only those things essential to the safety of flight whenever we are operating not only in the air within the airport area but also on the ground the safety of everyshyone would be improved exponentially We just cant be as effective as we need to be in all the sundry things that reshyquire our attention prior to takeoff and during the climb-out when we are engaged in conversations about the wife and kids yesterdays ball game or the latest and greatest joke So please
brief your passengers on the II sterile cockpit concept If we want to remain pliant we need to be silent (Of course this is just as important during our arshyrival as it is in the departure)
The accident in LeXington was a tragedy made more so by the fact that it was so easily preventable Hopefully we can take the lessons learned from analyzing the mistakes those pilots made and apply them to our own flyshying Remember how important it is to ensure that you are departing on the correct runway Run a HAT check (or its equivalent) prior to takeoff Mainshytain a sterile cockpit whenever you are in an airport environment Doing these things will help ensure that you experience many more days ofblue skies and tail winds
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year a NAFI Master Instructor and a designated pilot examiner He operates DSFI Inc (wwwDSFlightcom) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBi) near Hudson New York
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
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The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
A bit less than a year ago my avishyation flame began to dim while on a trip to Athens Greece to visit our daughter Leslie the second secreshytary at the US Embassy in Athens
My wife Dorothy otherwise known as the Hangar Queen had been an avid EAA volunteer for more than 35 years Shed started her volunteer work helping me with the Antique amp Classic Division and then later at the EAA Wearhouse where she worked tirelessly for a month or more every year until just the year before when she reshytired from that phase of volunteer
32 MARCH 2007
BY BUCK HILBERT
Where did I go
work On the trip she began having problems ascending stairs and walkshying on uneven ground
Back home the medics determined that Dorothy was a silent stroke vicshytim My priorities changed My lifeshylong partner in EAA aviation needed help and now it was my turn
The search for a return to health met with dead ends and the docshytors outlook didnt give us any hope We knew the ordeal could only end with her eventual demise The medics gave us a time schedshyule and they were right It took just about eight months
During that time span my every waking moment and some of my
dreams as well were for only one purpose To help To help in any way I could
I shut down all outside activity I put airplanes and aviation out of my mind I became the cook and housekeeper I spent most of my days and nights as the nurses aide and the chauffeur doing whatever I could for her
We were fortunate in that we had time to reflect time to talk time to plan and near the last I had time to grieve even before the final ending
My partners gone Ive accepted that fact and the best way I know of honoring her memory is to get back to the things she encouraged me in doing all these past 45 or more years Im going to get back into the EAA mainstream Its time to get back to division activities and Im even planning on joining a local chapter again
Maybe HG Frautschy our editor and executive director will let me write again (l never really let you stop old friend-HGF) And just maybe Earl Lawrence will have me back in Government programs
Ill be seeing you again on the flightline Look for me at Sun n Fun Ill be there Until then its
Over to you I(
(( ~-cJ
Don and Carolyn Collins Summerfield NC
bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
bull Owns two airplanes
bull Provides flight instruction and sightseeing air rides
I like one-stop-shopping and AUA Inc has provided this for
me for the past 12 years By making one telephone call
I get all my insurance needs satisfied efficiently courteously
and competitively
- Don Collins
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved To become a member of VAA call 800middot843middot3612
AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
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CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
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bull Received private pilot certificate in 1969
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BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
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phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
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Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
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VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
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CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
BY HG FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTHS MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION
Send your answer to EAA Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer needs to be in no later than April 15 for inclusion in the June 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane
You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to mysteryplaneeaaorg Be sure to include your name city and state in the body of your note and put I(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line
DECEMBERS MYSTERY ANS W ER
34 MARCH 2007
Heres our first letter about the December Mystery Plane
The Mystery Plane pictured in the December 2006 issue is the prototype of the Curtiss Model] circa 1914 The photo was taken in Hammondsport New York at Kingsley Flats on Keuka Lake Attached are two photos (one identical to yours) of the craft Inshyteresting that your copy has CURshyTISS removed from the side of the plane (We couldnt leave that big clue along the side of the biplanes
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
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Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
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Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
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Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
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Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
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Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
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Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
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Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
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rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
fuse lage now could we-HGF) Glad to be of help Rick Leisenring Curator Glenn H Curtiss Museum Hammondsport New York
And from one of our earliest VAA members in Michishygan we have this response
The December Mystery Plane is a Cu rt iss Model J Since there is water in the background of the ph oto it is a pretty good bet that the photo was taken on the shore of Keuka Lake at Hammondsport New York (Yes see above-HGF)
This appears to be the first version of this airplane which had 300-foot equal-span wings with four ailerons It was initia lly tested on floats and it apparently needed more wing area so subsequent versions had a 40-foot 2shyinch upper wingspan 30-foot lower wingspan and aishylerons only on the upper wings Perhaps the photo was taken just before or just after the initial test flights on floats
The engine was an OXX engine with dual ignition and a larger bore than standard It was rated at 100 hp The airplane had two seats in tandem but with con shytro ls only in the rear cockpit
Two model Js were furnished by Curt iss to the Army Signal Corps in San Diego in 1914 One of them estab shylished a record 1000 feetm inute climb in September of 1914 Im guessing the pla ne could only climb that fast for 100 or 200 feet from maximum-speed level flig h t
Both planes were destroyed in accidents The Model J design was progress ively refined into t he
models N IN IN-2 IN-3 and finally the famous World War I Jenny IN-4 military trainer These refinements were subtle and the Jenny strongly resembles its ancesshytor the Model J
Most of this information was gleaned from the book Curtiss The Hammondsport Era 1907-1915 by Lou is S Casey former curator of aircraft at the National Air and
Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Lynn Towns Holt Michigan
Other correct answers were received from Brian Baker Sun City Arizona and Jack Erickson State College Pennshysylvania An extensive article on the Model J written by Wesley Sm ith will be featured in next months issue of Vintage Airplane
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200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
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TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
dalefa yemsll col1l
Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
dillghaovwc f1et
Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
wi lldsockaol (om
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaol (olll
Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
gellem orrisCilarterllct
Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton WI 53589 608-877-8485
daraprilaireco m
SH Wes Schmid 2359 Le feber Avenue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1545
shscJmidmilwpccom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
GRCHA cizarterllet buck7acdlslIet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
- ewrenew memberships EAA Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
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Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore infonnation 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 888-322-3229
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Flight Advisors information 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors 920-426-6864 Young Eagles 877-806-8902
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Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMreg and EAA SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
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Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
200 7 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events visit wwweaaorgjevents
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of inforshymation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direcshytion ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed To submit an event send the inshyformation via mail to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or eshymail the information to vintageaircraft eaa org Information should be received fOllr months prior to the event date
APRIL 27-28-Waco TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC) 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association Five acres of ramp static display A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees speakers George D Pinky Nelson former NASA Astronaut and Jw Corkey Fornof movie stunt aviation character COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE wwwtxaaorg
Sun n Fun Ay-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) Lakeland FL April 17-23 2007 wwwSun-N-Funorg
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ay-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO) Hondo TX June 1-2 2007 wwwSWRFIorg
Golden West EAA Regional Ay-In Yuba County Airport (MYV) Marysville CA June 29-July 1 2007 wwwGoldenWestFlylnorg
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ay-In Front Range Airport (FTG) Watkins CO June 23-24 2007 wwwRMRFIorg
Arlington EAA Ay-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) Arlington WA July 11-15 2007 wwwNWEAAorg
MAY 4-6-Burlington NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilsonhomexpresswaynet
MAY 6- Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Flymiddotln to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults $3 children under age 10 Piper Aviation Museum open for tours Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-incom
MAY 31-JUNE 2-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 21st Annual Biplane Expo Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 wwwbiplaneexpocom
JUNE 14-17-St Louis MO-Dauster Flying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) American Waco Club Fly-In Info Phil Coulson 269-624-6490 or rcoulson516cscom www americanwacoclubcom
JUNE 20-23-Lock Haven PA-William T Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models especially PIPERS Seminars vendors food camping
36 MARCH 2007
and entertainment daily Come for the day or the week Call 570shy893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information j3cubkcnetorg www sentimentaljourneyfly-in com
JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion Check www nationalwacoclubcom for more information and contact information Or emailcall Andy Heins 937 313 5931 wacoasoaolcom
AUGUST S-Queen City MO-Applegate Airport (15MO) 20th Annual Watermelon Fly-In amp BBQ 2pm til dark Come and see grass roots aviation at its best Info 660-766-2644
AUGUST S-Chetek WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23) BBQ Fly-In 1030am Warbird displays antique and unique airplanes antique amp collector car displays and raffles for airplane rides Procedes will be given to local charities Info Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924shy4501 Cell 715-456-8415 fixdent chibardunnet Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477 Cell 651-308-2839 n3nknutcitizens-telnet
AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times Held in conjunction with the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) Oshkosh WI July 23-29 2007 wwwAirVentureorg
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ay-In Mansfield Lahm Airport Mansfield OH August 25-26 2007 httpMERFIinfo
Virginia Regional EAA Ay-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTS) Petersburg VA October 6-72007 wwwVAEAAorg
EAA Southeast Regional Ay-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen AL October 12-142007 wwwSERFIorg
Copperstate Regional EAA Ay-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28 2007 wwwcopperstateorg
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event Info Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield WI-Capitol Airport (02C) Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display VAA Chapter 11 Dean London 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I-Marion IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In 700am until 200pm This annual event features antique classic homebuilt ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars trucks motorcycles and tractors An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band wwwFlylnCruiselncomlnfo Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnsonindyrrcom
SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO) 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In Antiques Classics Light Sport Warbirds Forum Type Clubs Info Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www tulsaflyincom
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In All classes welcome BBQ on field Fri Evening EAA judging all classes Sat Banquet Sat Nite Info Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson homexpresswaynet
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
LINCOLN MERCURY
Your One STOP Quality Shop
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Imported for Skat Blast this economical cabinet assembles in 2-3 hours Connect air hose from your compressor and add Glass Beads or other abrasive Aim trigger power gun (in- 111_ 12 x 24 lens Requires 7-20 cfm 80 psi and shop vac
Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters
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cluded) at part and remove rust and paint FAST 22d 3312w 22h work area
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TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
dalefa yemsll col1l
Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
dillghaovwc f1et
Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
wi lldsockaol (om
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaol (olll
Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
gellem orrisCilarterllct
Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton WI 53589 608-877-8485
daraprilaireco m
SH Wes Schmid 2359 Le feber Avenue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1545
shscJmidmilwpccom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
GRCHA cizarterllet buck7acdlslIet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
- ewrenew memberships EAA Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
-Address changes -Merchandise sales -Gift memberships
Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore infonnation 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 888-322-3229
- EAA Ai r Academy - EAA Scholarships
Flight Advisors information 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors 920-426-6864 Young Eagles 877-806-8902
Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884 EAA Aircraft Financing Plan 866-808-6040 EAA Enterpri se Rent-A-Car Program 877-GA1-ERAC
Editorial 920-426-4825 Vintage FAX 920-426-6865
- Submitting articlephoto - Advertising information
EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236-1025
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMreg and EAA SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
55 ~aI~~tion X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING
ENJOY THE PRIVILEGE OF PARTNERSHIP Fonl Super Duty owners tow and their towing needs are growing To meet that need Ford Is Introducing the new F-450 pickup model
The F-350 SUper Duty already offers best-in-class maximum payload of 5800 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 19200 pounds However the new 2008 F-450 pickup widens the capability gap offering a maxishymum payload over 6000 pounds and towing capacity of more than 24000 pounds- a 5000-pound increase over the class-leading F-350 All of this added capability comes with the same increased level of refinement found in the new F-250 and F-350
FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY-the industrys leading heavy-duty work truck and a mainstay of businesses throughout America has been overhauled for the 200B model year Ford s Super Duty pickup has been the leader in the over B500-pound truck segment since launchoffering best-in-class payload gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) and trailer tow ratings
Offered in three cab styles- Regular Cab SuperCab and Crew Cab-and with two bed lengths the new Super Duty will feature a bold look inside and out an all-new more powerful state-of-the-art Power Strokeilgt Diesel and a host of unique innovative features not found on any other truck And the line of Ford Super Duty trucks has been expanded for 2008 with an even more capable workhorse the new F-450 pickup
EXCLUSIVE PRICING EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE Ford Motor Company in association with EAA is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Companys family of brands-Ford LincolnMercury Mazda Volvo Land Rover and Jaguar Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (wwweaaorg) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligibleThisoffer is available to residents of the United States and Canada
Certain restrictions apply Available at participating dealers Please refer to wwweaaorg or caIiSOO-S42-3612
LINCOLN MERCURY
Your One STOP Quality Shop
1middot888middot388middot8803 1middot780middot447middot5955
Imported for Skat Blast this economical cabinet assembles in 2-3 hours Connect air hose from your compressor and add Glass Beads or other abrasive Aim trigger power gun (in- 111_ 12 x 24 lens Requires 7-20 cfm 80 psi and shop vac
Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters
All Makes amp Models
cluded) at part and remove rust and paint FAST 22d 3312w 22h work area
wwwacomweldlngcom
TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
dalefa yemsll col1l
Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
dillghaovwc f1et
Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
wi lldsockaol (om
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaol (olll
Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
gellem orrisCilarterllct
Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton WI 53589 608-877-8485
daraprilaireco m
SH Wes Schmid 2359 Le feber Avenue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1545
shscJmidmilwpccom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
GRCHA cizarterllet buck7acdlslIet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
- ewrenew memberships EAA Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
-Address changes -Merchandise sales -Gift memberships
Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore infonnation 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 888-322-3229
- EAA Ai r Academy - EAA Scholarships
Flight Advisors information 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors 920-426-6864 Young Eagles 877-806-8902
Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884 EAA Aircraft Financing Plan 866-808-6040 EAA Enterpri se Rent-A-Car Program 877-GA1-ERAC
Editorial 920-426-4825 Vintage FAX 920-426-6865
- Submitting articlephoto - Advertising information
EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236-1025
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMreg and EAA SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
Your One STOP Quality Shop
1middot888middot388middot8803 1middot780middot447middot5955
Imported for Skat Blast this economical cabinet assembles in 2-3 hours Connect air hose from your compressor and add Glass Beads or other abrasive Aim trigger power gun (in- 111_ 12 x 24 lens Requires 7-20 cfm 80 psi and shop vac
Call Today For Our New Catalog Exhaust Systems Carb Air Boxes Structural Assemblies Clamps amp Hardware Round Engine Exhausts Engine Mounts Fuel Cells Heaters
All Makes amp Models
cluded) at part and remove rust and paint FAST 22d 3312w 22h work area
wwwacomweldlngcom
TAtLWt-leuroeuroL5 o o
continued from page 5
ida April 17-23 EAA experts will be on hand throughout each event to answer questions on sport pilotlightshysport aircraft (SPLSA) or any subject related to recreational aviation
At Sun n Fun EAA staff will presshy
--~-~-------lt -----shy
ent 11 forums throughout the week regarding the sport pilot initiative Also visit the EAA Member Village Tent for other questions about EAA services and member benefits
Ron Wagner EAAs manager of field relations will conduct forums on a vashyriety of sport pilot-related topics at the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (The Texas Fly-In) in Hondo Texas June 1-2 the Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FlyshyIn at Denvers Front Range Airport Gune 22-24) the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In Marysville California Gune 29shyJuly 1) and the Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington Washington Ouly 11-15) All of the EAA regional events will also feature displays by varishyous light-sport aircraft manufacturers
Those are all a prelude to the big show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Guly 23shy29) which will again feature the EAA LSA Mall displaying many of the latest
light-sport aircraft on Wittman Road south of AeroShell Square A team of EAA sport pilot experts will staff the tent at the LSA Mall to answer any and all of your questions plus a wide variety of sport pilot forums are scheduled
Check wwwEAAorgavlinksfyins html for more information on nashytional and regional events and www EAA orgeventsindexhtmi for local events and chapter fly-ins
SWRFI to Welcome Gene Kranz Hero of Apollo 13 Mission
Gene Kranz served as lead flight direcmiddot tor for the Apollo 13 lunar mission
Aerospace icon and a hero of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission Eugene F Gene Kranz will be the honored guest at this years EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) slated for June 1-2 at the Hondo Mushynicipal Airport Texas Kranz served as lead flight director of the aborted April 1970 mission and played a crushycial role in safely returning its crew to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the spacecraft shortly afshyter launch from Cape Canaveral
His resourcefulness and leadershyship was instrumental in saving the Apollo crew and infused NASA with a sense of pride and accomplishment which led to the development of the space shuttle
The Apo llo 13 mission was imshymortalized in a smash hit movie in 1995 Actor Ed Harris portrayal of Kranz earned him an Academy Award nomination Kranz is credited with the phrase Failure is not an option which is also the title of his 2000 book Failure Is Not an Option Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
For more information visit www 5WRFIorg
38 MARCH 2007
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
Pres ident Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner
1521 E MacG regor Dr 2448 Lough Lane New Haven IN 46774 Hartford WI 53027
260-493-4724 262-673-5885 chie(7025aolcom vaaf1ybo)ns (om
Secreta ry Treasurer Steve Nesse Charles W Harris
2009 Highland Ave 72 15 East 46th 51 Albert Lea MN 56007 Tulsa OK 74147
507-373 -1674 918-622-8400 slflescieskmediacom cwh hv5UCO Ill
DIRECTORS Steve Bender
8S Brush Hill Road Sherborn MA 01770
508-653middot755 7 ss t 100comcastll et
David Bennett 375 Ki lldeer Ct
Lincoln CA 95648 91 6-645-8370
(lntiquerinreachcom
John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd
Cannon Falls MN 55009 507-2 63-2414
mjbfchldrcot1l1fctco m
Dave Clark 635 Ves ta l Lane
Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-4500
da vecpdques t l1et
John 5 Copeland l A Deacon Street
Northborough MA 0 1532 508-393-4775
(opeland ljunucum
Phi Coulson 2841 5 Springbrook Dr
Lawton MI 49065 269-624-6490
rcousoIIS 16laquo(cs com
Dale A Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr
Indianapoli s IN 46278 317-293-4430
dalefa yemsll col1l
Jean nie Hill PO Box 328
Harvard IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205
dillghaovwc f1et
Espie Butch Joyce 704 N Regional Rd
Greensboro NC 27409 336-668-3650
wi lldsockaol (om
Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln
Hart ford WI 53027 262-966-7627
sskrogaol (olll
Robert D IBob Lumley 1265 South 124th St Brookfield WI 53005
262-782-2633 Illmperexecpccolll
Gene M orris 5936 Steve Court
Roanoke TX 76262 8 17-49 1-9 11 0
gellem orrisCilarterllct
Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton WI 53589 608-877-8485
daraprilaireco m
SH Wes Schmid 2359 Le feber Avenue
Wauwatosa WI 5321 3 414-77 1-1545
shscJmidmilwpccom
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2 159 Carlton Rd 8102 Leech Rd
Oshkosh WI 54904 Unio n IL 601 80 920-23 1-5002 815-923-4591
GRCHA cizarterllet buck7acdlslIet
Ronald C Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave
Kent City MI 49330 616-678-5012
rFritzpa tllwaYlletco l11
Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ~
EAA Aviat ion Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Sites wwwvintageaircra(tolg wwwairvenhlreorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircra(teaaorg
EAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM-700 PM Monday- Friday CST)
- ewrenew memberships EAA Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
-Address changes -Merchandise sales -Gift memberships
Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Buildrestore infonnation 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 888-322-3229
- EAA Ai r Academy - EAA Scholarships
Flight Advisors information 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors 920-426-6864 Young Eagles 877-806-8902
Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884 EAA Aircraft Financing Plan 866-808-6040 EAA Enterpri se Rent-A-Car Program 877-GA1-ERAC
Editorial 920-426-4825 Vintage FAX 920-426-6865
- Submitting articlephoto - Advertising information
EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236-1025
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA
Membership in the Experimen tal Aircraft Association Inc is $40 for one year includshying 12 issues of SPORT AVIATIO N Fami ly membership is an additi onal $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 years o f age) is ava ilable at $23 annually All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage)
EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Curre n t EAA m embers ma y join t he
Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMreg and EAA SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
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EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine fo r a n addi tional $20 per year
EAA Membersh i p a n d EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is ava ilab le for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine not in shycluded) (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage_)
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Vintage Aircraft Assoc ia tion and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an adshyditional $36 per year
EAA Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage)
lAC Current EAA members may join t he
In ternatio n al Aerobatic Club Inc Divishysion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addition al $45 per year
EAA Membership SPORT AEROBATshyICS magazin e and one year membersh ip in the lAC Divisio n is available for $55 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in c lu d ed) (A dd $ 18 for Fore ig n Postage)
WARBIRDS Curren t EAA mem bers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year
EAA Membership WA RBIRDS m aga shyzine and o n e year m e m bership in t he Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in shycluded) (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submi t you r remi t tance with a
ch eck o r draft d rawn on a United Stat es ban k payable in United States dollars Add requi red Foreign Postage amount for each membership
Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright copy2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750 ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviashy
tion Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 e-mail vintageaircrafteaaorg Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members Period~ls Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to Vintage Airplane PO Box 3088 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services Station A PO Box 54 Windsor ON N9A 6J5 e-mail cpcreturnsWdsrnailcom FORshyEIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken
EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No remuneration is made Material should be sent toEditor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 920-426-4800
EMreg and EAA SPORT AVIATIONreg the EM Logoreg and Aeronautica are registered trademarks trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is strictly prohibited
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
BELLANCA 260 continued from page 18
the seats were worn in the hydraulic power pack Also the over-center adshyjustments on the main gear legs were out of tolerance so its nothing short of a miracle that I didnt have them fold on a landing Or both of them could have folded while I was under it
When he finally got the airplane back up on its gear it was time to asshysess the damage
The right toilet seat lid the right gear doors were damaged as was the left aux tank vent My IA and I were concerned with the attach points for the right horizontal stab as that had a lot of weight on them I called Tom Witmer and sent him some digita l photos of the damage and we detershymined that the airplane was ferriable So I flew it up to Toms shop in Pennshysylvania for him to do the repairs
Tom found that the horizontal tail spar on the right side was bent which turned out to be a major deal The spar is an oval piece of tubing which was formed in-house by Bellanca and imshypossible to repair So we had to find another stab Tom scrounged around and had to get two of them as the first one had a deformed spar as well
Fixing the crushed tank vent was a trick too because the tank had to come out which meant a lot of cutshyting whittling glueing scarf joints and a sizable amount of refinishing
Now that the airplane is finished even after all of this work John still doesnt know the correct factory desshyignation for it
These airplanes have a bit of an identity crisis the sales brochures just say 260 and the dataplate says 14-19shy3 Some literature refers to it as the last of the Cruisemasters In 1964 when the airplanes got the single tail the facshytory eventually labeled them Vikings Of course regardless of the factory designation the jokesters refer to my airplane as a termite trainer or cardshyboard Connie I refer to it as a 260
Regardless of whats its called Johns no-name airplane is a beauty and hopefully all of his aggravations are in the past 40 MARCH 2007
Something to buy sell or trade
Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with
boldface lead-in on first line
Classified Display Ads One column wide (2167 inches) by 1 2 or
3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no frequency
discounts
Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date for the March issue) VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with it s policies
Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via
phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail (cassadseaaorg) using cred it card payment
(all cards accepted) Include name on card complete address type of
card card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classif ied Ad
Manager PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Airplane T-Shirts CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your 150 Different Airplanes Available flying club fl ight shop museum Free
WE PROBABLY HAVE samples Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1shyYOUR AIRPLANE 828-654-9711
wwwairpanetshirtscom 1-800-645-7739 wwwaircraftnotescom Aircraft
review Research and Contri bute
Flying wires available 1994 pricing knowledge about aircraft What kind
Visit wwwfyingwirescom or call of experiences have been had by
800-517 -9278 others with a specific aircraft Add your comments on aircraft here
THERES JUST NOTHING LIKE IT BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod ON THE WEB bearingsmain bearingsbushingsmaster
wwwaviation-giftshopcom rods valves piston r ings Call us Toll A Website with the Pilot in Mind Free 1-800-233-6934 e-mail ramremfg (and those who love airplanes) aocom Website www ramenginecom
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202 AampP IA Annual 100 hr inspections
Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 TIME FOR YOUR MEDICAL
Ohio - statewide Blood sugar cholesterol triglycerides
blood pressure issues LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA E-mail or write me and Ill send you my
CERTIFICATE- Brenco has a 25 year lab results (before amp after) and tell you history of training AampPs to obtain their how I got MY medical Inspection Authorization Courses Richard Denison are offered every year in Battle Creek 104 Teche St MI Columbus OH Kenosha WI and New Iberia La 70560 Rockford IL Call 1-800-584-1392 for cycopsphotocoxnet additional information (337)365-5621
