HELP!

The Vintage Airplane Magazine is in grave danger. The problem is lack of material. As with SPORT AVIATION and other EAA publications we are almost totally depen­dent on the photographic generosity and writing activity of our readership . It's up to you to share with the other members of the Antique/Classic Division your experiences , memories, photographs or research . Headquarters can not do it all on its own. The supply of manuscripts is so low that unless we hear from some of you soon there may not be a happy new year. Please get involved ... now!

Paul H. Poberezny, Publisher David Gustafson, Editor

(David Gustafson Photo)

Ryan PT-22

Editorial Staff

Publisher Paul H. Poberezny

Editor David Gustafson

Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington , Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch, Edward D. Williams, Byron (Fred) Fredericksen

Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assigned to those writers who submit five or more articles .which are published in THE VINTAGE AIR­PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR­PLANE and a free one·year membership in the Division for their efforts. POLICY-Opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibil ity for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor.

Directors

ANTIQUE/CLASSIC William J. Ehlen AI Kelch Route 8 Box 506 7018 W . Bonniwell Road DIVISION

Tampa, Florida 33618 Mequon , Wi scons in 53092OFFICERS Claude l. Gray, Jr. Morton W. Lester

PRESIDENT 9635 Sylvia Avenue Box 3747 J. R. NIELANDER, JR. Northridge, California 91 324 Martinsville, Virginia 2411 2

P.O. BOX 2464 Dale A. Gustafson Arthur R. MorganFT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33303 7724 Shady Hill Drive 3744 N . 51 st Bourevard

Ind ianapolis, Indiana 46274 Milwaukee, Wi sconsin 53216 VICE-PRESIDENT Richard Wagner M . C. " Kell y" Viets JACK WINTHROP P.O . Box 181 RR 1 Box 151

RT. 1, BOX 111 Lyons, Wisconsin 53148 Stillwell , Kansas 66085 ALLEN, TX 75002

Advisors Ronald Fritz

1989 Wilson , NW SECRETARY

W. BRAD THOMAS, JR. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504301 DODSON MILL ROAD

PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041 John R. Turgyan Robert E. Kessel 1530 Kuser Road 445 Oakridge Drive

Trenton , New Jersey 08619 Rochester, New York 14617 TREASURER E. E. "BUCK" HILBERT Stan Gomoll Robert A . White

8102 LEECH RD. 1042 90th Lane , NE Box 704 UNION, IL 60180 Minneapolis , Minnesota 55434 Zellwood, Florida 32798

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by EAA Ant ique/Classic DiviSion , Inc " and is publ ished monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second c lass Postag e paid at Hales Co rners Post Offi ce , Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and add it ional mailing o ff ices. Membership rates for EAA Anti que/ Classic Division, Inc., are $ 14.00 per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the publication of THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE. Membersh ip is open to all who are interested in aviation .

The VINTAGEAII1PLANE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC.

of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130

CopyrightC> 1978 EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc., All Rights Reserved .

OCTOBER 1978 VOLUME 6 NUMBER 10 (On The Cover . .. loe Era/e 's Curtiss Robin. Photo by David Gustafson.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

More O shkosh '78 by David Gustafson . . ... "., .. . , ., .. . . .. , ' , . .. , ... , 4 History of Flight '78 . .. ,' , . . . . , " ', . . , ., ' , ... ............ . ............ 9 ' Curtiss Robin by David Gustafson . . .. ....... . . ........ . . . ... . . . . . . , . .. 12 Winners . ... . . .. , .... .. ..... . ..... . , .. . , , , , . , .. , . , .. . , ...... , .. . ... . . 16 From The Ground Up by lois Kelch .... .. .. . . . ... .. . .. ......... .... ... 18 Tom's Travelair by Kent McMakin . . , . . . . , . ... ," , .. " . .... , . . .. . , . . .. . . . 21 Staggerwings In Uniform by AI Gililland . , . . . .. . .. .. .. . . . .. . .... . . . . . . . 23 Restoration Tips: Radio Installations in C-170's and

Other Classi cs by Don langford .. , , , .. . . . , , , . . . , . , .. , , , . , , , . , , .. , " 25 Calendar of Events .... .. . , . , . ... .. . , ., ' ,. ,', . .. . . . . . .... ,.,', . ," ', .. 26

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP o NON-EAA MEMBER - $20,00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/

Class ic Division, 12 monthly issues o f THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year m~m­bership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ ation and separate membership ca rds. SPORT AVIATION magazine not included.

o EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Inc ludes one year membership in the EAA.Antique/Class ic Divi sion , 12 monthly iss ues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE AND /MEMBERSHIP CARD. (Appli cant must be current EAA member and must give EAA membership number.)

.I ~

,..... .....,,~,'"

~--.."' .=:IIlII Page 4 Page 9 Page 23 3

MORE OSHKOSH '78

By David Guslafs on, Ecl ilOr

As the song goes: " It was a very good year". Aside from a dramatic thunderstorm that tickled the north end of the field, providing a thrilling backdrop for the opening of Monday's air show, the weather this year was everything 1977 had left to be desired. Abun­dant sunshine covered the field in the mornings, puffy clouds rolled in for lun ch , out for dinner, and tem­peratures everyone would like to see year-round com­bined to create a pilot and photographers ' dream.

Like prospective parents who cross the threshold of expectancy earlier than anticipated, we were all surprised to count 377 display aircraft on the field when the sun set on the eve before the Convention 's opening. That tally included 42 Antique and 116 Classic aircraft, many 'of which had staked out a piece of the campground south of Ollie 's Park . So when dawn cracked on Saturday there was already an excellent representation of vintage planes, 82 more than a year earlier, and each successive day saw another new record in attendance. At week 's end, the Antique/ Classic Division could not only boast of a bigger and better fly-in than in previous years, but it could again lay claim- if it means anything- to the largest total number of display aircraft on the field . Antiques and Classics outnumbered Homebuilts by several hundred and Warbirds by a factor of five. In aircraft registra­tions that translates into 190 Antiques, 7 Replicas, and a whopping 604 Classics.

Naturally a lot of Oshkosh regulars and intermittant types ( irregulars ?) turned up again. Hours were filled and quickly passed with reunions and exchanges of the latest flying stories . What makes each day really exciting, however, are the arrivals of the debutantes, the basket cases that have had the full Cinderella treat­ment before their "coming out" party. Like royal gold filigree they shine in all directions; like the ancient theatres of Greece, they remind us of another time that's curiously grown to seem more noble and less complicated than what we 're locked into now.

With each year the stories of restorations, of what the builders had in the first place, of what they had to find or build anew, grow ever more involved. Easy pickin 's are gone. These days, or in the last decade, people have had to start with some pretty empty bas­kets.

This year, the trophy for Grand Champion Antique went to Joe & Joe Erale 's Curtiss Robin, a ten-year project; Grand Champion Classic was Ron Wojnar's Aeronca Champ which was also a full decade in the remaking . Both planes were at Oshkosh for the first

( Photo by Ted Ko ston)

S. L. Wa lli ck, Jr., pilol Shi S 80ein g 700 ( P+ 12 F4 8-1 ) over Oshko sh .

time; both were rebuilt by their owners. They shared center stage with some other outstanding newcomers like Jack Chastain 's rare Rawdon T-1 , Ray Stebnis' and Jack Schnaube It 's excellent Fa irch i Id 22, Margaret and Rick Demond 's sparkling Corben Ace (antique homebuilt) . Donald Cassidy flew in a beautifully cus­tomized Spartan Executive, and S. L. Wallick arrived

4

in the world's on ly Boeing 100, while Wallace Mitchell brought in his one of a kind RPT Waco low wing. There were some exciting replica debuts: a brand new Spad, Fokker Triplane, even a Ramsey Bathtub (from Baker, Oregon!).

Since there are so many Class ics , it 's difficult to nail down. what's new or freshly refurbished, but the number put on the block for judging expands rapidly every year, which is indicative of the effort people are making to preserve and maintain everyth ing that flies.

Among the scads of tasteful "wet-look" classic paint schemes, were a liberal sprinkling of bare 'n polished metal planes that were sometimes blinding in the sunlight. Beauty was occasionally more than skin deep with some of these Classics as found in the case of a gleaming Luscombe 8F that looked stock at first glan ce, but which harbored a 150 HP Lycoming under its cowl.

Of course, there 's more to Oshkosh than fossil aircraft. For example, there are the archaeo logical discussions about the roots of early aviation. Thirty­nine of the forty forums scheduled for tent number 3, beside the Antique/Classic field headquarters, went off on schedule, drawing some full houses and strongly appreciative responses. Ollie 's Park, between the Antique Parking and the Antique/Classic Aircraft Campgrounds provided an ideal setting for a finger­lickin ' good picnic. It was a pleasure to see so many wives and kids present. A lot of those people recon­vened at the same spot on Friday night following the awards show in the Main Forums Pavilion.

Highlighting the week of Antique/Classic activities at Wittman Field, and driving Chairman Ron Fritz and some of the other organ izers to the brink of babble, was the airborn History of Flight. Lauded by all as an overwhelming success, the Parade sequenced nearly all the major types of aircraft developed between the 1911 Curtiss Pusher (which led the parade) through a United Airlines DC-8 jet which flew through after 104 antiques, classics and warbirds. Breaking the steady flow of fly-by 's from time to time were some barnstormers who regularly perform airshow routines with Vintage aircraft. They held the stage for a while, twisting smoke trails into delicate geometric patterns. It's safe to say that never before in the history of avia­tion have so many people volunteered their time and airplanes to participate in such an extravaganza. The picture presented of air progress was quite com­prehensive. Naturally, next year 's will be even bigger, hopefully better and even more exciting.

5(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

The Antique/Classic parking area at Oshkosh.

ANTIQUE AIRCRAFT IN ATTENDANCE

REGISTRATION & AIRCRAFT TYPE

AERONCA N14632 C-3 N22322 Chief N22359 S-65CA N27302 Chief N33702 Chief N31S37 65TL

N33757 65TC N49302 L3

AMERICAN EAGLE N7310 American Eagle 101 N54SY American Eaglet

BEECHCRAFT N40E D-17S Nl195V Staggerwing N911 3H D-17S

N9724H D-17S N44562 Staggerwing N5329S D-17S N67550 D- 17S NS0305 G-17S C-FGWC D-17S

CESSNA N15462 C-34 N20764 C- 165 N20765 Airmaster N254S5 C-165 N69072 T-50

DE HAVILLAND N4446 Tiger Moth CF-BHK Tiger Moth

CF-CTN Tiger Moth

DOUGLAS N45WT DC-3 N1S949 DC-3 N54542 DC-3

FAIRCHILD NC1476S Fairchild 22 NC3629 Fairchild 24 N19177 Fairchild 24 N22032 Fairchild 24 N25323 Fairchild 24 N27697 Fairchild 24R N77605 Fairchild 24 N7760S Fairchild 24W NCS1263 Fairchild 24W NS131S Fairchild 24 NS1333 Fairchild 24W NCS134S Fairchild 24R NS1356 Fairchild N13DR PT-19 N46395 PT-19A N51S74 PT-19 N66S13 PT-19 N69167 PT- 26

PT-26

PILOT AND/OR OWNER

Dale Wolford . Ashland . OH John A. Moore, Escanaba. MI Lawrence F. Diedrick, Lodi, WI Jerry Ernst , Owosso , MI Joseph A. Simandl , West Allis , WI Robert Decker/Scot Decker, East Peoria ,

IL Dwayne Tucker . Concord , AR Keith A. Littlefield , Tacoma, WA

Ed Wegner. Plymouth . WI Gene Morris/Mary Morris, Hampshire.

IL

Glen McNabb. Jasper. TN John W. Womack . lola. KS Donald R. Quinn , Inner Grove Heights.

MN D. W. Koeppen , New Milford . CT Richard Hansen , Batavia , IL Richard L. Perry. Hampshire . IL R. C. Vanausdell . Santa Paula , CA James Gorman , Mansfield , OH George Lemay. N. W. Calgary , Canada

Clyde Bourgeois , Santa Ynez. CA Harry Menear, Palmyra, PA John Bergeson , Mt . Pleasant . MI Gar Williams , Naperville. IL James Kramer , Boynton Beach. FL

John Bright , Kalamazoo . MI C. E. Rankine. Scarborough. Ont..

Canada Frank Evans{Tom Dietrich , Kitchener,

Ont ., Canada

Tom May. Un iontown , OH George W. Gibson . Antrim . NH EAA Air Museum. Franklin . WI

Ray Steinbis/Jack Schnaubelt . Elgin . IL C. C. Mason , Mora. MN Russ Schmude. Oshkosh . WI Allen D. Henninger , Tullahom a. TN Ed Wegner . Plymouth. WI Don Genzmer , Mukwonago, WI Glenn M. Kindell . Mesa. AZ Burton Modert. Jackson, MI Warren Long , Thomasville , GA Neil Fuller. Midland . MI Steve Thomas, Belvidere . IL H. Van Bortel/B. Moore. Palmyra . NY

. Don Mather, Huron. OH Robert M . Young/Bob Falls . McLoud. OK Gerard Carlson , East Hartford. CT William T . Patchett , Warrenton , VA Donald Jensen . Albert Lea , MN Jerold L. Frye. Bethalto . IL Terry R. Chastain. Singapore 21 .

Singapore.

(Photo by Ted Kaston)

Gene Morris of Hampshire, Illinois flew up in this Tra­vel Air 4000.

GRUMMAN NIAS Widgeon G-44 N7491 Widgeon N62000 Widgeon

HOWARD N14SS7 DGA-l1 N67433 DGA 15P NC95462 DGA 15P

INTERSTATE N37303 Interstate Cadet S 1 A NC37334 Interstate Cadet

NC37357 Interstate Cadet S1A

Arthur C. Slifel III . Miami Beach , FL Brian Van Wagner. Clark Lake. MI James Rogers. Middlebury, IN

John Witt . Minneapolis, MN Clayton Graves. Santa Paula , CA Chub/Bette Trainor. Wayne. NJ

H. Edward Westlake. Columbus . OH Tim Talen/Marian Johnson . Cottage

Grove, OR Richard Redell . Lake Geneva. WI

6

(PhOlO by Ted Koslon)

Ed Wegner of Plymouth , Wisconsin taxies his American

Eagle down the flight line.

LUSCOMBE SA

N1972B N2514S SC N25173 NC25174 SA N25342 SA N28547 N39083 SA

LOCKHEED NC105W Vega N1 2AT 12A N36P 12A

R. N. Branson , Burleson , TX Don D Dodge , Manhattan, KS Arthur R. Morgan , Milwaukee, WI David Novak . Algoma, WI Harold Wighton , Roslyn , WA Earl W. Ellis , Westminster, CO Gerry Sheahan , West Allis , WI Robert E. Tree , Remu s, MI

Dave Jameson , Oshkosh. WI EAA Air Museum , Frankl in. WI Paul Valentino , Bloomfield , MI

MEYERS N26487 OTW

N34311 OTW

MONOCOUPE N369H

Nl1760 N15427 N18062 90A N38922

NAVY N1 2063 N3N-3 N45222 N3N-3

PIPER N19554 J-2 N23200 N24603 J-3 N24693 J-3 wnc30233 J-3 N30859 J-3 NC32S52 J-3 N33578 J-3 N3432N J-3 N35811 J-3 N38259 J-3 N42028 J-3 N49901 N51574 J-3 N43518 L-4 NC26716 J-4A

N28205 J-4 NC30340 J-4A N41153 J-4 N35697 J-5 N38243 J-5A N59988 J-5A

RYAN N18911 SCW NS146 STM N472 10 PT- 22 N53148 PT-22

REAR WI N N20723 Sportster N25570 Sportster

SPARTAN N705N C' 3 N97DC Executive N836 Executive NC13993 Executive N17605 Executive NC17615 Executive N20200 Executive

STEARMAN N78SH YP-9 N21EC N44JP N2S5

N44WR N16SD N450PW A75Nl N966CD N1034 N2-S1 Nl066N Nt 395V N9078H

Charles Downey/Melbourne Schmidt , Hinsdale , IL

Richard Martin, Green Bay, WI

Nelson Eskey/Ron Testerman , Blue Ridge, VA

Joseph Jones, Pleasant Hill , OH Matthew B. Poelking , Wadsworth , OH H. Art Marsden/J. D. Slack , Argos , IN Bud Dake, Berkeley, MO

,Tom Ahlers, SI. Charles , MO Arnold W. Lindall , Marine on SI. Croix ,

MN

Dave Jameson , Oshkosh , WI Thomas Janusevic, Rockford , IL William T . Coleman , Portage , WI Dennis Agin , Cleveland , OH George Williams, Poynette, WI Tim Lyons, Lake Bluff, IL Peter Doblosky , Manville, NJ Robert W. Reid III , San Jose, CA Donald Jensen, Albert Lea, MN Gus Limbach , Mahtomedi, MN D. Diedrich , McHenry , IL Norman Lewis , Frederichsburg. OH John Young , Reynoldsburg , OH Norbert Okoniewski , Utica. MI Gene O'Neill , Fostoria, IA Dan Kuhlman/Dave Coller, Coraopolis,

PA Glenn D. Charles, Irwin , PA Alan Anderson . Grosse lie , MI Roger l. Herren , Clayton , IL Ed Hedlund, South Haven , MI D. J . Rohrbaugh , Ft . Wayne, IN Leo Waiter , Riley, KS

Richard McDonald , Olympia , WA Bobby, Friedman , Highland Park , IL Don McMakin , Sarasota , FL James G . Taylor, Sky Harbor Air Park , MN

Alfred Nagel , Montello, WI Kenneth Williams , Portage, WI

Ed Wegner, Plymouth , WI Donald Cassidy , Martinsville, IN Norm Kleman. Hampshire . IL Robert Pond, Eden Prairie, MN Donald E. Dickenson , Santa Paula , CA J . T. Patterson , Louisville , KY William Goldman, Chandler , AZ

Ray Stephen/C. R. Jones, Livermore , CA Ed Colman , Genesel , NY Robert Graves/Charlotte Parish ,

Tullahoma, TN W. F. Russell , Houston, TX Susan Dacy , Harvard, I L Bob and Pat Wagner, Miamisburg , OH Chuck Doyle , Apple Valley, MN Norman Corsaut , Traverse City . MI David E. Neuser, Manitowoc, WI David Litchfield , Bloomfield , CT F. R. Griffin , Minnetonka Beach .

MN 7

(Pharo by Lee Fray) ( Photo by David Gustafson)

Convention Chairman for theAntiquelClassic area, J. R. fAA Convention Director Tom Poberezny discusse s the Nielander (ieft) and Co-Chairman Robert A. White. week's activities with the press.

N9301 H Leslie A. Haley , Old Mystic , CT NC29898 Andrew T. Surratt. Medinah, Il N127Y Wallace Mitchell. Brookfield, WI

N38940 William F. Bohannan, Columbus. OH N33992 Larry Grimm, Finleyville, PA N16591 EOC-6 Stan Gomoll , Blaine , MN

N55626 Chuck Andreas. Neenah . WI N36256 Ralph Grebb. Sulphur Springs , TX NC29903 UPF-7 Richard Peterson/William Amundson.

N55809 Michael Hall, Palatine, IL N36298 Ralph V. Jones. Suitland, MD Stoughton , WI

N57947 Edward A. Pease , West Mystic. CT N36389 Dave Siler , Versailles. MO N30186 UPF-7 James J . Sorenson , Green Bay, WI

N61511 Roger Koerner, Kankakee, IL N46667 James Souris. Minneapolis. MN NC30188 UPF-7 Henry Geissler . Webster . MN

N63991 Marvin Sievert, MinneapolIS. MN N47026 Stanley A. York, Mansfield. OH N32084 UPF-7 Loel Crawford . Harvard , IL

N75228 PT-17 Paul R. Beck , Sausalito, CA NC47301 Arch L. Howard/Harold N. Downing , NC2309 VKS-7 Kermit D. Hoffmeier , Kearney, MO Lexington , KY N31653 VKS-7F Vince Marian i. Findlay , OH

N47481 Gerald Boling . Newcastle, IN N29375 RPT Wallace Mitchell . Brookfield, WI STINSON N47583 Robert J . Kuhlow , Brookfield . WI NC408Y SM-8A EAA Air Museum. Franklin, WI N50107 Willi am Schank , St. Pau l. MN ADDITIONAL ANTIQU ES NC443G Jr. S D. F. Neuman. MinneapoliS , MN NC50129 Larry Moffitt , Raytown, MO N872H Boeing 100 (P-12 F4B-1) S. L Wallick, Jr , Bellevue, WA N100JN SR-9F John T. Neumeister. Sussex. NJ N50964 William G. Baldwin . Pacifica . CA NX5148 Corben Baby Ace Richard Demond . Whitmore Lake . MI N18410 Reliant Stanley L . Kuck, Kohler, WI N91032 Dale Jorgensen , Algoma , WI N101B Culver Cadet David W Starbuck , Rudd , IA N9t 78H v·n Tallie Holland, Columbus , OH NR59H Curtiss Rob m Joseph Erale fBil1 Garvey. Brentwood , N22531 HW-75 Richard F. Viles. Union Lake . MI L.I .. NY N23703 HW-75 Jerry L. Ackerman, Perry , OK N20915 Dart GK-2 4 Art Bishop/F Leidig, Norton, OH

TRAVEL A IR NC28961 Ercoupe Thomas Rowland. EI Paso. TX NC8115 Nick Rez ich, Rockford . IL N24137 Funk Harry Keith , Coffeyville , KS

TA YLORCRAFT N9088 4000 Gene Morris. Hampshire. IL N543K Great Lakes Tom Bins. Three Lakes. WI N20407 Thomas R. Tr ip lett, Watertown . WI CF-NXT Miles Hawk John W. MacGillivray , Ottawa South , N24341 Donald W. Berg/Harold Hamp, Alm a, MI WACO ant. , Canada N26690 Jasper Janssen. Houghton , MI N6974 10 John Hatz. Gleason. WI N 12937 Pletenpol Forrest Lovely. Richfield . MN NC27486 James E, Edwards , Clearwater. FL N6930 ASO Dean Crites, Waukesh a. WI N18743 Porterfie ld Charles E. Lebrecht . Wonder Lake. IL N27657 John Gadeikis, Burlington. WI N12453 IBA Ed Packard, So . Bend, IN Swallow Buck Hilbert /United Airlines. Union. IL N29869 A. N. Polidori , Mundelein . IL N655N Taperwing Bob Lyjak, Ann Arbor . MI NX 21 1 Sp irit of St. Louis EAA Air Museum . Frankli n. WI N29885 Samuel E. Winters. Hampsi re . IL NC11427 F- 2 L. E. Parsons, Carrollton, OH CG-OMD St am ps SV4B R. G. Hadf ield. M ilton. ant.. Canada

8

7977 Curtiss Pusher, Dales Crites, Waukeshau, WI 7973 Spad VII, Carl Swanson, Aliens Crove, WI

Swallow, Ryan, Stinson - "The journeymen" 1935 Cessna C-34, Clyde Bourgeois, Santa Ynez, CA

7938 Ryan SCw, Rich McDonald, Olympia, WA 1947 Waco VKS-7F, Vince Maiani, Findlay, OH t

794 2 Cessna T-50, jame s Kramer, Boynton Beach, F L 7942 Piper L-4, Gene O 'Neill, Fo storia , LA

7943 PT-79, Bob Young/Bob Fall s, M c Loud, OK 7943 Howard DGA 75 P, Chub Trainor, Wayne, N j

Navion 7953 Cessna 795, Mike Young, McLoud, OK

•

11

Story and Photo s by David Gu stafson, Editor

Beer commercials have started a trend toward philosophizing in an existential key, usually in fifteen words or less: "You only go around once . .. grab all the gusto you can."

Recently, a sage hops merchant decreed, "When it's right, you know it." The simplistic reasoning in this tome is that you can often wander around in the decision making ho-hums until chance and other odd ingredients suddenly touch off a flash of "there it is! " or "that 's it, that's the one! " All this heavy logic is meant to point up the fact that when John Garvey taxied up in the Curtiss Robin that had been restored by owners Joe Erale, Junior and Senior, there were a gaggle of judges and other onlookers who lit up like they were auditioning for a TV commercial.

It was "right " and nearly everyone knew it. The Robin was parked among a very large and impressive group of immaculate restorations, yet something set it apart.

The Joseph Erale's, a father and son team, had sal­vaged a notable piece of aviation history, an airplane that's worth at least a partial review here.

The beginnings of the Erale 's " First Curtiss Robin " (which reall y isn 't the first one at all-- it's got SIN 46 2) reach back to late 1927 or early 1928. Curtiss, who was most actively involved in military production at the

lime, had dabbled occasionally with commercial mod­els like the Oriole, Lark and Carrier Pidgeon. Sensing that the open cockpit bipl ane was limited to the whims of c limate and likel y therefore to eventually face re­pl acement in the commerc ial market by closed cabin airplanes, Curtiss proceeded to sketch out a three­seat "enclosed " airplane. He ca lled it the Robin. It was distinctive because of its squared off, straight lines look . There was more to Curtiss ' thinking than simplicity in construction; he subjected the structure to wind tunnel tests and found it was aerodynamically efficient. The first X-model Robin had three doors . The production model was cut back to two doors on the right side.

With a skylight and full-length side windows for the pilot, visibility was excellent. Since over-production in the first world war had left Curtiss with a ware­house full of OX-5 engines , he naturally mounted one on the Robin. The prototype OX-5 Robin was given A .T.e. #40, but wasn ' t used for production . Curtiss went on to develop the prototype Challenger­Robin (A.T.e. #63). Then there emerged a production line OX-5 Robin (A.T.e. #68) and right behind it, the Challenger version (A.T .e. # 69) . Factory produc­tion of both models was undertaken by the Curtiss­Robertson Aircraft Company at Lambert Field in St. Louis . It was one of the OX-5 Robins (converted to accept a Wright J-5 radial) that was flown by 'Wrong­Way Corrigan " across the Atlantic.

The Challenger-Robin, which is what the Erale 's are currently flying (they also have the bones of an OX-5 Robin) had been developed in 1928 to uti I ize Arthur Nutt's new engine design. Nutt was a Curtiss employee.

Originally rated at 165 horsepower, the six cyl inder Challenger proved itself highly reliable for the period. Somewhere in the next couple of years , the factory would go on to upgrade the engine to 170 and then 185 horspower . According to Joseph Juptner: " The 'Challenger' engine was an air-cooled radial type of a rather odd configuration , it was a staggered twin-row ' radial ' that was actually two banks of three cylinders each operating off of a two-throw crankshaft ."

From the firewall back the two models were virtually identical save in the matter of empty weight and per­formance specs. Both had two 25-gallon gas tanks, steerable tail skids, and the options of wheel brakes and flying struts, which could add 41 square feet of lift area to the 224 square feet already occupied by the wing. It was also possible to equip both Robin types with dual controls and man y were thus em­ployed in the network of Curtiss ' flying schools around the country.

Number 46 2 of the Challenger series was pulled off the assembly line for special duty. There was noth­ing special about 462; it was "stock " in all respeds. With a few additions , however, it was made ready for an endurance contest that would see Red Jackson and Forest O 'Brine over St. Louis for a record break­ing 420 hours or 17% days. During the course of the flight they were refueled by another Challenger Robin. Most likely, something about the flight and the record contributed to the identification of #462 as " the 1st Curtiss Robin ". The exact reason is lost. Working from photographs in day-by-day account of the flight which ran in the SI. louis Dispatch and the New York Times, the Erale's have recreated the paint scheme of the plane as it appeared in the course of the endurance fl ight.

That endurance record, which changed hands frequently in those days, was not without its share of risks. While Jackson and O'Brine were aloft, enjoying good weather, several others were either forced down, or they crashed in IFR conditions. On the other hand, the St. Louis duo encountered other threats, the major one being the need to change two spark plugs while flying. When they noticed the engine was running rough, Jackson climbed out on a catwalk and traced the trouble to the bottom two plugs. They sent down word to the ground crew and en­gineers who decided the plugs should be changed in flight! A device was quickly developed to compress the valve springs so that the pressure in the cyl inders wou Id be rei ieved. Jackson cI imbed out again for a task few people will ever face or would want to. For­tunately the air was smooth. Can you imagine what it would have been like with a moderate chop? Jack­son was successful in his efforts, but he severely burned his hands on the exhaust pipes in the process . Fears of infection threatened the flight now, but medication and luck took effect and Red 's only prob­lem was the pain.

Then the engine started missing again . This time the trouble was diagnosed as a bad mag.

A check on the right side revealed nothing, a check on the left showed the problem . It almost seemed silly: a loose safety wire was flopping about and peri­odically grounding the mag.

After 420 hours Bill Robertson ordered the plane back on the ground, even though O 'Brine and Jack­son were eager to continue . When they 'd had time to shower and shave the record setters were driven through St. Louis and Chicago in massive parades . Then they took " The First Robin " on a 14-city tour. In Syracuse, New York Forest O 'Brine lost it on a land­

12

ing and wiped out the right wing, tail group and en­gine. Gulf Oil bought what was left, replaced the broken structures and hung an upgraded 185 horse­power Challenger on the front. William Case then took the plane on a promotional tour for Gulf in 1930 that wound through every state in the Union.

In 1932, Gulf donated the Robin to the Franklin Institute which put it on display from July of that year until December, 1940, when it was loaned to Roose­velt Field. They kept it until their closing in 1951, at which time Frog Chapman bought it as junk for $350.00. He towed the deteriorating cargo home and let it sit for another 16 years. Obviously, this Curtiss Robin had seen better days.

In 1967, the Erale's negotiated a purchase agree­ment that included 'a clear title: the plane was still owned by the Gulf Oil Company, but no one at Gulf wanted to assume responsibility for signing over the title (sound familiar?) until the Erale's got in touch with the President, who took the step that launched the rebuild.

Though they didn't know it at the time, Joe and Joe were facing a full decade of intermittant work. The slow and arduous task of tearing down , cleaning, building and rebuilding wasn 't anything new. Joe Senior (now 66) runs an auto body business on Long Island. At one point he built up his own unique sports car. He then shifted over to airplanes, having pur­chased a large variety of restoration projects in the 1950's, when they were cheap. Prior to the Robin he restored three UPF-7's and a Cabin Waco. He also redid an award winning 1929 Curtiss Fledgling which he subsequently sold to the Brazilian Government.

Young Joe (32) had pitched in from time to time and leaned toward the mechanical end of things. He's now an A & P, working on his AI and seems to be shoot­ing for some sort of student pilot record: he 's had a student ticket sin ce he started flying his father 's Tri­Pacer in 1962.

What they were confronted with in 1967, was basi­cally a complete aircraft- less a prop, instruments and lower cowl- which needed a total refurbishing. Left out in the harsh New England weather for a dozen years, the fuselage required stripping, sandb lasing , and a couple new chunks of tubing.

Fortunately, the wings and tail groups had been stored inside and were in decent condition. In the recovering process, however, the wings and fuselage, were skinned with Ceconite. The lift struts were done over with Grade A ..

Joe Jr. admits the compromise in fabric was moti­vated by finances, but wishes it might have been other­

wise. Other changes from factory specs include the use of some phillip head screws, the required ELT, and a bunch of nicropress sleeves. "I didn 't want to learn cable splicing and weaving on the control lines for this plane, " says Joe Jr. "so we used the nicropress sleeves and I faked the splicing over the sleeves." If he hadn't given away the secret, few people wou ld have noticed .

Both men were surprised when they tore down the engine. It had not been overhauled since it was built in 1930, and had not run since 1931, but internally it was in near perfect condition. They honed the cyl­inders , cleaned off the pistons to check for cracks, and without replacing so much as a gasket they re­assembled all of the original parts . After a modest search they located a prop in Alaska and managed to scrounge up the necessary inst ruments to refill the panel.

In the process of replacing original bolts with AN hardware, they stuck with castle nuts and cotter pins throughout. There isn 't a stopnut in the entire ma­chine. That 's a lotta cotterpins.

The interior of the plane was completely done over, and in the process they removed the doors and the upholstered panels on the doors. Apparent ly the doors had been ent irely painted before the original panels were attached. Removal therefore provided an unfaded paint chip that could be used to create the original base colo r. As mentioned earlier, pho­tographs from old newspapers showed how the side

of the plane had been lettered. Some simple scale work gave an indication of word size.

Paint on the fabric is all butyrate and the metal parts are covered with lacquer. Hand rubbing pro­duced a gleaming surface that scatters sunlight in exquisite patterns.

August, 1976 ... after 44 '12 years of silence, the Challenger sputtered and roared again. The Robin flew I ike it was fadory new. Years of effort and sweat were suddenly rewarded as the airfoil did its job.

Rightfully concerned about proteding such a gem from hangar rash , theft and other bad possibilities, the Erale 's were pleased to secure hangar space on a 400 acre Long Island potato farm where they can share a 2200' grass strip with another antique lover who has seven vintage planes of his own.

With the assistance of Pan Am Captain Bill .Garvey, young Joe Erale accompanied the plane to Oshkosh ' 78 where it handily earned the Grand Champion Trophy.

To come to Oshkosh Joe had to interrupt the work he and his father are currently engaged in with another of those 1950's basket cases. It's Joe Senior 's fourth UPF-7! After that they ' ll tackle a 1928 OX-5 Robin, a Stinson Reliant , two Command-Aires, an Alexander Eaglerock with a 180 hp Hisso, and a Fairchild 24. Talk about workaholics!

Sure gives us a lot to look forward to though .. .

13

3

2

5

(David Gustafson Photo)

Champion Silver Age - 7929 Boeing 700 - S. L. Wallick

(Ted Koston Photo) Champion Golden Age - 7926 Swallow

7. Champion Replica Aircraft - - Buck Hilbert Dale Crites (David Gustafson Photo)

(David Gustafson Photo) Champion Antique Homebuilt - 7932 Cor­2. Champion Contemporary Age - Waco UPF-7 - Richard . ben Baby Ace - Richard Demond

Anderson, Wm. Amundson (David Gustafson Photo)

3. Champion Customized Aircraft - 7937 QCF-2 - Lee 17 Parsons

FROM THE GROUND UP

vignettes and photos by Lois Kelch

W. 66 N. 622 Madi son Ave. Cedarburg, WI 53012

18 Lois and AI Kelch.

1945 J-3 CUB CLIP-WING NC33578

Two very young men from California are venture­some and enthusiastic about aviation . They are on a tour for the summer flying a 1945 J-3 Cub Clip-Wing airplane. Their first stop was the EAA Oshkosh Con­vention, and it took them 4 days.

The pilot is 19 year old Robin Reid of San Jose who was accompanied by 14 year old Wesley Ingalls of Cambell, Califomia.

After soaking up all the excitement of the Conven­tion, they are heading to Washington , D.C. and points north until time to return home and back to school.

Their parting words were- 'We're having a blast!" Charle s " Moo se" Au te n of Belmont, California.

CHARLES W. AUTEN"MOOSE"

As you walk among the thousands of airplanes on display, and watch people looking at them with smiles and much interest, you wonder just what brought about that interest. Not all the people on the flight line flew airplanes in, but all have a common interest

- aviation! One such man is Charles Windsor " Moose" Auten,

of Belmont, California. He is 70 y ears young, and has been flying since 1929 when he soloed in an OX5 Waco 10 after only 4V2 hours instruction. That made him an expert and he in turn was instructing and haul­ing passengers with less than 10 hours solo time. His early aviation history started in Grinnell, Iowa where he practiced his take-offs and landings from a pasture. He once took his grandfather for a ride in an Aristo­craft for his first and only airplane ride. As the grand­father was climbing out of the cockpit, he smiled and said "I wasn't scared even a penny's worth! "

Charles loved to give people their first rides, being sure not to do any sharp turns or rolls to frighten them . He must have succeeded, for they all came back for more.

He has worked for American Airlines as a mainte­nance man for 41 years. He notes with pride that he worked 38V2 years without a sick day off. Charlie is the guest of Gene and Mary Morris- nice guest to have when you own an American Eaglet and a Travel Air.

Charles married his childhood sweetheart and they have been flying together for 51 years. They have two sons- Charles flies for Braniff and Carl Richard flies for TWA. He even has a granddaughter with the initials E.A.A. (Elizabeth Ann Austen)- how's that for carrying on tradition?

19 year old Robin Reid and his navigator 14 year old Wes­ley Ingalls at Oshkosh.

John La Mascus and his 7945 J3 Piper Cub.

1945 )3 PIPER CUB #NC 42478

As with so many of today's flying enthusiasts, John La Mascus' dreams of flying started as a small boy when he saw airplanes flying over the cotton fields of Madera, California- he vowed he would be an airplane pilot some day too.

His dream of owning and flying his own airplane was realized 11 years ago when he found this 1945 Piper J3 Cub in a field, sitting among the weeds in Delano, California, with a homemade cardboard "For Sale" sign. He bought it, learned to fly, and flew it for only one year, because it needed new fabric and a re­build job. Since he had a growing family, he left the plane in storage until 1975 when he started his restor­ing job, which took him 2'12 years of long hard work to bring it back to new condition.

John is from Pacific Grove, California and he flew his Piper to Oshkosh, accompanied by Arlene Eide, which took them 36 hours flying time, but actually 9 days, due to some 1 and 2 day delays because of un­favorable weather conditions. His highest altitude over the mountain passes was 10,500' and that 65 hp Continental purred on, high or low, hot or cold. The Cub is absolute perfection, and I found out how he keeps that beautiful unscratched varnish on the floor­boards- flies in his "tennies".

1954 HEllO COURIER N242B

An intriging sleek looking airplane caught my eye, and it turned out to be the first production model Helio Courier. It was donated to JAARS (Jungle Avia­tion and Radio Service, Inc.) by a man in Philadelphia, to be used in their work around the world, currently in 35 countries. They use their 23 Couriers and 65 dif-

The JAA RS Courier.

ferent aircraft in the'ir work supplying people who are out in the tribal areas with transportation and supplies, and last but not least, God's holy word.

The pilot of the Courier who flew it to the EM Con­vention is Skip Holmberg of Arizona, who has spent the last five years in Brazil with his family, but who has now been reassigned to the U.s. as a public rela­tions spokesman for JAARS.

Seeing this STOL Courier flying a demonstration Wednesday afternoon, holding at what looked like 15 miles indicated, showing its ability to land in the jungle, was deftly flown by Skip, held the crowd's attention.

1932 CORBEN BABY ACE NX5148

Serial #72, Continental A65

Richard Demond of Whitemore Lake, Michigan acquired his Corben Baby Ace from the late Dewey Bryan, in 1972.

It has been a family restoration job; his wife built the ribs, and 9 year old Lee and infant Amy were on hand for polishing and light construction.

The restoration took 5 years and was accomplished on their 9 x 14 sun porch at a cost of $1775.00.

The trip from Brighton, Michigan to Oshkosh took 6V2 hours. He flew in formation with a Taylorcraft and a Cessna 150.

Dick Demond and hi s Corben Ace.

Greg and his beautiful shiney Luscombe.

1947 LUSCOMBE 8E "SILVAIRE" N2424K

Seeing th.is beautiful shiny Luscombe reflecting the morning Oshkosh sun, I walked up and found 21 year o ld pilot, Gregg Beitel, using lots of elbow grease and polish to get that mirror finish .

It is Gregg's first time at Oshkosh, and he flew the Luscombe here from Gastonia, North Carolina, in formation with Richard Pettyjohn in his Cessna 120, and Jerry Heik in his Cessna 140. They got a thrill when Weir Cook International Airport at Indianapolis in­vited them to fly over the airport for them to observe the interesting formation. The trip took them 8 hours flying time, which was a little longer than anticipated, due to dodging some thunderstorms in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Bob Beitel, an airplane pilot for Eastern, taught his two sons to fly at an early age. The three of them have a "hobby business" of restoring antique airplanes.

They found the Luscombe in Chapel Hill, North Carol ina in "sad shape" and restored it to its present beautifu I condition.

Gregg will graduate from Purdue University in May 1979, as an Aeronautical Engineer, and his ultimate dream is to go to work for NASA. With his drive and enthusiasm, I'm sure he will make it.

19

(Photo by Lee Fray)

" ­,. ANTIQUE JUDGES Back row, left to right - John R. Turgyon, Dale Gustafson, Ed Wegner, Dick Martin, Gene Mor­ris, Ken Williams, Doug Rounds. Front row, left to right - Don Coleman, Pete Covington, H. N. Dusty Rhodes, Claude Gray.

(Photo by Lee Fray)

Jack Winthrop (left) Manpower Chairman and Jack Cope­land the Manpower Co-Chairman.

(Photo by Lee Fra y)

Seated, Phil Coulson and Ron Fritz. Standing, Donna Benedict, Willard Benedict Antique/Classic Fly-By Com­mittee.

20

•

Article and Photo s by Kent McM akin 622 Salem Street Apartment 7

Rockton, Illinoi s 6 7072

Have you ever heard a restorer exclaim in disgust, " Those damn duster pilots sure did butcher up a lot of nice old airplanes. "

Sure, it is too bad that they were modified in such a way years ago. It makes for a lot of work to put them back into stock configuration . But, even though the AG business modified and cut up a lot of airplanes, if it weren 't for them, there would be a whole lot fewer airplanes around for us to restore. Back in the late 30's, 40's and 50 's, a WACO 10 or Travelair wasn 't worth a bucket of prop wash to the average Cub pilot. A considerable number of aircraft, which only a few years earlier were somebody 's brand new pride and joy, went down the tubes due to their obsolesence.

Obsolete, that is, to just about everybody but the AG pilot. He clung to these early birds for years after almost everyone else discarded them. They kept them going, working and f lying up into the ' 70 's in some cases until replacing them with newer equipment.

So, thanks to the AG business, many old machines were "saved". I, for one, have one of these ex-dusters under restoration. And so does Tom Hegy of Hart­ford, Wisconsin . Tom is the resuredor of a 1928 Trav­elair 2000. He has put a considerable amount of time, work and bucks in his ex-duster, but he really doesn 't curse the previous owners due to the fact that he is an AG pilot himself.

Tom purchased his prize from John Thurmon in Arizona way back in 1964. Not much was accomplished on the Travelair until recent years.

When obtained, the Travelair was a typical basket case. A rusty jake hung on the nose, four decomposed wings, and a highly modified forward fuselage. The firewall section of the frame had been complete ly changed to accomodate the jacobs and much cutting and welding was needed to bring it up to snuff.

The huge air wheels were replaced with original looking Bendix N3N wheels with hydraulic brakes, the

heavy T -6 tailwheel assembly was discarded in favor of an ingenious Cessna 180 set-up. All of the wOQd in the fuselage and tail sect ion were replaced. Only the fittings and a few drag wires are of 1928 vintage.

Instead of using the old OX-S, Tom opted for the dependable 220 hp Continental with a Hamilton stan­dard ground adjustable prop. The air filter carb heat box are from a Timm N2T and makes for a neat, un­cluttered installation. It 's just too bad these Timm carb heat boxes are so scarce. The exhaust and cut down accessory cowling is Stearman. All cockpit cowljj ing is new, as is the aluminum wing leading edges.

As you can see by the pictures, the workmanship is beautiful. By the time you read this, Tom will proba­bly be covering his creation (or recreation) with STITS and in original colors, Travelair blue and silver.

22

STAGGER UNIFOR

By AI G 4055 Elmwood Rd.

South Euclid, OH 441 2 1

(Photos by David Gustafson)

We're all aware that people who can afford them purchase former warbirds which have outlived their military usefulness- and convert them to civil avia­tion birds.

That 's why there are organizations like Warbirds of America, the Confederate Air Force, and other groups dedicated to preserving and flying former military types.

Just before America entered World War Two there was a switch, which saw the U .S. military services buying civil aircraft to convert to war birds.

One of the civil aircraft types drafted into military service was the four-place Beechcraft Model 17, a Single-engine tail-dragger biplane, called the "Stagger­wing " because of the negative stagger of its wings.

The Staggerwing first flew in 1932. When produc­tion ceased in 1948, well over 400 had been built. Most of the variants in the Staggerwing Model 17 had to do with engine changes. The airframe remained virtually the same in all versions, until 1945 when the G17S five-place model was put into produdion.

Initial produdion versions were the 17R powered with a 420 hp Whirlwind, and the A 17F powered with a 700 hp Cyclone. Both models had a fixed under­carriage and wheel pants.

First version with retradable landing gear was the B17L, powered with a 225 hp Jacobs. Later versions, all equipped with 285 hp Jacobs power plants, were the B17B, C17B, C17L, CI7R, E17B and E17L.

Other variants were the F17D with a 330 hp Jacobs, D17A with a 350 hp Whirlwind, D17R with a 450 hp Whirlwind, and D17S with a 450 hp Wasp Junior en ­gine.

First Staggerwing to go " into uniform" was a C17R model. In 1936 the U.S. Navy bought one for use as a personnel transport.

In 1939; Beech entered a D17S in an Army competi­tion for a light personnel transport. It won, and a con­tract was issued for constru ction of three prototypes, to be designated YC-43; (Y for evaluation testing).

These aircraft subsequently were deSignated UC-43 (U for utility) and assigned to Air Attache offices. That same year, the U.S. Navy purchased seven D17S Beech­crafts and designated them GB-l 'so They were assigned to Naval Air Stations as utility personnel transports.

Also in 1939, one model D17Awent to the Brazilian navy. The records do not indicate whether this was an outright purchase by Brazil, or was an early lend­lease airplane.

Serious production of Beechcrafts for the U.S. Army and Navy began in 1941 . Mostly, the Model 17's which went into uniform were the D17S version.

Glen McNabb 's 0-77 from Jasper, Tennessee, provides a good example of a Slaggerwing in warpainl.

They were used in the military for liaison, trans­port and communications. A total of 207 went to the U.S. Army Air Force as UC-43's, and 63 went to the Navy as GB's.

While some of these went to England, China, Brazil and other countries under lend-lease, most of them remained in the U.S. Army and Navy service during the war.

At the end of the war in 1945, most of the USAAF UC-43's were sold as surplus. The Navy kept their GB's in service until as late as 1948.

The Staggerwing had a maximum speed of 205 mph, a maximum cruising speed of 198 mph at 10,000 feet, and an initial climb rate of 1400 fpm.

Range was 1400 miles . Empty weight was 2800 pounds, loaded weight 4250 pounds . Wingspan was 32 feet, length 25 feet nine inches. Height from the deck was nine feet.

Many former military transport aircraft- the Stag­gerwings among them - were turned over to the (then) Civil Aeronautics Administration, which later sold them as surplus.

Beginning in '1945, Beechcraft tion of a five-place c ivil version, Staggerwing production ended in these G17S models were built.

About 250 Staggerwings are on

went into produc­the G17S. Before

1948, some 90 of

the U.s. Civil Reg­ister today, nearly half of them in current license. Most of them are D17S models with 450 hp Pratt & Whitney engines. Most of them were in uniform in WWIL

Other civil aircrdt drafted into military service during the war, to name a few, were the L-type (liaison) Cubs, large transports, and big flying boats.

24

Restoration Tips: Radio Installations in C-170's and

Other Classics

(reprinted from The 170 News)

By Do n Lan gfor d 391 5 Booklin e Circl e

Hunt svill e, Alabam a 35810

Most 170's have had a radio change since that day long ago when they rolled off Clyde Cessna's pro­duction line. If the radio installation was done well, many years shou Id pass before the installation needs to be looked at again. For those 170's with original gear, it's about time to take a serious look at the wir­ing, antennas and switches hooked to that radio, and it may be that trusty old coffee grinder is not going to pot after all.

Good radio shops will tell you about 70% of all radio problems are actua ll y installation problems and cause many hours of unnecessary hunting for grem­lins on the bench. Poor installation jobs can account for poor performance and many of the new popular general aviation radios have gained a bad reputation which is not really the radio 's fault. One guy will claim excellent results with a radio and his buddy with the same model claims a real lemon.

Let's start with the voltage regulator. Our aircraft rad ios operate off 13.75 volts. A one volt drop can cause an older tube transmitter to put out only half as much power as it shou ld. If power is simi lar to the airspeed versus horsepower theorem, you have to square the power to double the range of a transmitter, therefore half power drops the range to 'l4 what you shou ld have . The receiver is affected similarl y but not as bad since the receiver draws much less amper­age than the transmitter. Check the voltage output of the regulator with varying loads and R.P.M. settings to see where your voltage starts to drop and expect poorer rad io performance when the voltage is less than 13.75 volts .

The generator supplies us with that additional voltage and current needed so its the next item to look at. Most of our 170's have 25 amp or 35 amp gen­erators (rated 20 and 30 amps), hardly enough to han­dle lights and a couple of tube type radios. Check into the possibility of going to a 50 amp generator if the sum total of your electrical load is more than 80% of the output of your generator. For an approximate load rating, tum on all electrical gear with the engine

stopped, key a transmitter and check the ammeter for current drain . Add 10% to the reading and divide by your generator 's rated output. Also check the part numbers of your voltage regulator to make sure it is the proper one for your generator.

The next step is your master switch, radio switch and radio fuse. If any corrosion has bu i It up over the years, resistance is being added between our magic 13.75 volts and the radio. As lit1le as one ohm in the line can cause a radio drawing one amp of current to drop one volt. We know the output of the regulator, now check the voltage at the input to the radio. If a noticeable difference occurs start cleaning those con­tacts.

O lder radios were grounded to the airframe by the case. Newer, transister models usually have a separate ground wire from the connector and should be fastened securely to the case or other so lid air­frame point.

Next stop is the mike and phone jacks. It 's a sure bet there is a coating of corrosion and dirt film on the contacts. Frequent insertion of the plugs tends to wipe these points clean but a visual check and clean­ing is well worth the trouble. TV tuner cleaner or a rubber eraser work well. Make sure the contacts have good pressure on the jack.

Speakers deteriorate over the years . Ten years is a good replacement time. Look for a replacement speaker with a good, heavy magnet. Hi-fi speakers are not good. We are looking for good voice intelli­gibility in a noisy cabin. Mobile radio shops some­times have a good selection. Connecting radio speaker outputs together can cause a degradation to the speak­er output. Some radios just don't mix well. See your trusty radio shop if you suspect this.

Antennas cou ld fill a book. First, the VOR antenna, two rods shaped in a vee, or the popular flying wing style need a balun, an odd conglomeration of coaxial cable. Check the connections for signs of fraying, broken strands, corrosion or swelling of the insula­tion which indicates water has gotten into the cable. The tail mounted antenna is especially susceptible to vibration and water. Most tail mounted antennas have a bulkhead connector at the base of the stabi­lizers where the coax enters the fuse lage. Check for the same symptoms as above.

Better quality coax is available now than in the 50's so consider replacing runs that look especially bad. Sharp bends and kinks are a no-no. Heat can cause the center conductor to move closer to the shield in spots causing symptoms a technician will pull h is hair out trying to find.

Thi s cl ean 170 Bbelon gs lO JohnW. Reeves of Liberty­ville, '"inoi s.

The Communications antennas are vertically mounted and depend on the airframe fo r a ground plane. A good ground at the antenna base is impera­tive. The newer blade antennas can be coated at the base with an alodine solution (your radio shop should have some) to improve and retain surface conductivity of the antenna base to airp lane skin . Antennas shou ld be no closer than 15" to each other to prevent any interaction. Never paint or wax an antenna.

D.M.E. and transponder antennas are mounted on the underside as they are very sens itive to anything in their path to the ground station (i.e.; gear legs, steps). These two antennas must be kept very clean, which should be part of every preflight. Glides lope antennas on a 170 are usually the type that mounts in the upper windshield area, or a sp litter that makes use of the VOR antenna. Both types are quite ade­qu ate. Propeller R.P.M. can cause a fluctuation of the glideslope needle, just change the R.P.M. slightly.

ADF antennas are not as susceptible to dirt and oil but interact greatly with the aircraft skin and electri­cal wiring. Have ADF problems? Try various combina­tions of electrical loads and R.P.M. settings to track down installation problems.

Noise can be a real headache. Two sources are most common; the antenna system and the power supply lines . Fi Iters and sh ielded power wires can help. The RF noise shows up as wavy VOR and ADF needles, odd squelch settings. It's time for an expert when dealing with RF noise.

The one thing that can help a repairman most is detailed symptoms. Make notes of anything that might be a clue when a problem arises in a piece of gear. There's a good possibility it's not in the radio at all but some completely unsuspecting part of the insta l­lation. Good radioing, and see you at the convention.

25

Calendar of Events OCTOBER 5-8 - HARLINGEN, TEXAS- Confederate Air Force Air

Show '78. Contact CAF Public Affairs, Box 2443, Harlingen, Texas. 5121428-45%.

OCTOBER 7-8 - REDDING, CALIFORNIA- Oktoberfest at Redding Sky Ranch, sponsored by EAA Chapter 157. Contact Curly Medina 916/241-7737.

OCTOBER 13-1 5 - Tulsa EAA-AAA-IAC Fly-In, Tahlequah, Okla­homa. Contact Larry Brown, Brown Aviation , P.O . Box 51206, Tulsa, OK 74151.918/835-7663.

O CTOBER 21-22 - MARANA, ARIZONA- Seventh annual Copper­state EAA Fly-In at Marana Air Park . Awards for homebuilts, antiques, classics and warbirds . Contact Fred Feemster, Box 12307, Tucson, Arizona 85732. 602/299'2723.

O CTOBER 28 - His and Hers Air Race, Salinas, California, entry kits available for $2 starting July 15. Contact Salinas His and Hers Air Race, clo Rosemary Rice, 1158 San Fernando Drive, Salinas, CA 93901 .

NOVEMBER 18-19' - M IAMI, FLORIDA- Antique, Classic and Cus­tom Built Fly-In at the third annual Harvest- A Country Fair, sponsored by the Historical Association of Southern Florida, at the Dade County Youth Fairground, Coral Way at 112th Avenue. Awards given for antique, classic and custom built aircraft. Con­tact Capt. Ken Ufland of the Civil Air Patrol, office (305) 552-3106, home after 6: 00 p.m. (305) 251-5927, or Mary Dodd Russell, Har­vest Coordinator, at the Historical Museum, 3280 S. Miami Ave­nue, Building B., Miami, FL 33129:

JANUARY 21-27 - Sun 'N Fun, the biggest fly-in in the southeast­and the second biggest in the nation. It's a full week of southern hospitality and flying fun: daily aerial demonstrations; fly-bys of antique, classic, homebuilt and warbird aircraft; forums, exhibits and static displays; parties and corn roasts; big new food conces­sion; country store fo r campers in our shady campsites. Make motel reservations early- our free information booklet has a complete list of accommodations. Write to Sun ' N Fun, P.O. Box 3538, Lakeland, Florida 33802.

Do you know of a Beechcraft staggerwing that is fl ying, being restored, or in a basket? If so then get in touch with Tom Lempicke of Route 1, Box 5190, St. Cloud, Florida 32769 . Under the direction of the staggerwing Museum Foundation he is revising the book STAGGERWING, and would like to have ANY information on ANY stagger­wing, ANYwhere. The book should be published in 1979 and 'will feature information on ownership, condition and loca tion of each aircraft built.

CLASSIFIED ADS

Wanted to replace fire loss one 1973 Oshkosh patch. I. W . Stephenson, EAA 82203, P. O. Box 202, Menominee, Michi­gan 49858 USA.

1918 Standard JI-Hisso Powered, trophy winner. Niels Soren­sen, 389& Idaho Circle No. , Minneapolis, MN 55427. 612­537-0448.

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

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*A pai r of Antique Goggles by persuading 5 people to JOin .

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~A free five year member­ship in the Antique/Classic D ivi sion if you sponsor the most new members in 1978.

To Qualify : Write your name and member­ship number on the back of the member­shi p 'b lanks we've been providing in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Headq uarters wi ll keep sco re_

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FOR: 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933

1929-1933 MISCELLANY $2.50 Each Post Paid

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26

Are you restoring a Classic?

\

~o.n't q.~~~ I/~,

JJ FINISH IT RIGHT WITH AN

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RE-COVER ENVELOPES Available for all Classics andsomeAntique models, in Ceconite #101, #102 and cotton. Airtex makes the world's finest envelopes!

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27