vintage airplane - jul 1998
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Jul
y 1998
Vol
26,
No.7
ONTENTS
1 Straight & LevellEspie "Butch" Joyce
lC News
3 Ae romail
4 From The EAAlWorthington
Collection/John Underwood
8 Cessna 140 Fuel Caps/Neal Wright
11 Mystery PlanelH.G. Frautschy
12 David Gay s PT-17 Stearm an!
H.G. Frautschy
17 Flight of an Angel/Pat Quinn
21 A Handy Welding Table/
H G Frautschy
23 What Our Members
Are Restoring/H.G. Frautschy
26 Pass it to Buck/Buck Hilbert
28 Calendar
29 Welcome New Members
30
Membership Information/
Classified Ads
r ~ ~
Page 23
FRONT
COVER The
Grand Champion An
t ique of
the 1998 Sun
'n
Fun
EAA
Fly-In
was
David
Gay's
1943
Boeing
Stearman A75
Nl,
a PT-17
finished
in the
bright
colors
of the
U.S.
Army Air Co rps. EM
photo
by
Jim Koepnick, shot
with a
Conan EOS-l n equipped with an
80-200mm
lens. l tJJ sec. @ f20 on Fuji Sensia
100 ASA slide film. EM Cessna 210 plane fiown by
Bruce
Moore.
BACK COVER During the last half
of
the '30s, the aviation magazine
Popular
Aviation
featured
a series
of
full-color plates
depicting squadron
markings,
in
signia and civilian color schemes
on
their
back
cover.
This
p ate, from
the
Feb
ruary
1937 issue of
the magazine,
shows the
rhyme
and reason
behind
those
colorful
markings on Navy shipboard aircraft. The closely tr immed edges of the
pla
te
are
as
the magazine was
pr
oduced.
Copyright 1998 by the
EM
Antique/Classic Division Inc. A
ll
rights reserved.
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE
(ISSN
00916943)
is
published and owned
exclusively
by the
EM Antique/Classic
Dvision, Inc. of the E
xperimental
Aircraft
Assoc
iation and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd
P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 549033086.
Periodicals Postage paid
at
Oshkosh
,WISConsin 54901
and
at additional mailing offices . The membership
rate
for
EM
Antique/Classic Dvision,
tnc. is $27.00 for current
EM
members for 12 month period of which $18.00 is for the publication of VINTAGE AIRPLANE Membership is
open
to
all
who are interested in aviation.
POSTMASTER
: Send address
changes to EM Antique/Classic
Dvision,
Inc., P O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, W
549033086. FOR
E
GN AN
DAPO
ADDR
E
SS
ES- Please allow at
least two
months
for
delivery of
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE
to
foreign
and
APO addresses via surface
mail.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not
guaran
tee 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
renumeration
is
made.
Material should be sent to: Editor,
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903
-
3086. Phone 920/4264800.
The
words
EAA,
ULTRALIGHT
, FLY WITH THE FIRST
TEAM
, SPORT AVIATION , FOR THE LOVE OF
FLYING
and
the logos of
EAA, EAA
tNTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION
,
EAA
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION,
INTERNATIONAl
AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA
are
registered trademarks. THE
EAA
SKY SHOPPE
and
logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION , EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION and
EAA
Air
Venture
are
trademarks
of
the above associations and their use by
any
person other than he above association is
strictly
prohibited.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Publisher
To m
Poberezny
Editor-in-Chief
Jack Cox
Editor
Henry G.
Fraut
sc
hy
Managing
Editor
Golda Co x
Computer
Graphic
Specialists
Nancy
Ha n
son
Olivia L.
Phillip
Pie
rr
e
Katze
Staff Photographers
Jim
Koepnic k LeeAnn Abrams
Ke n Lic htenbe rg
Advertising/Editorial
ASSistant
Isabelle W
ske
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President
Vice-President
Espie
"Butch' Joyce
George Daubner
P.O
.
Box 35584
2448
Lough Lone
Greensboro, NC 27425 Hartford.
WI
53027
910/393-0344
414/673-5885
Secretary
Treasurer
Steve
Nesse
Charles
Harris
2009
Highland Ave.
7215 East
46th St.
Albert Lea, MN
56007
Tulso
.
OK 74145
flJ7/373-1674
9 1 8 6 2 2 ~
DIRECTORS
John BerencU Gene Marris
7645
Echo Point
Rd. 5936
Steve Court
Connon Falls, MN
55009
Roanoke, TX 76262
flJ7/263-2 41 4 817/491-9110
Phil Coulson
Robert
C. Bob' Brauer
28415
Springbrook
Dr
.
9345
S. Hoyne
Lawton.
MI
49065
Chica,W,
IL60620
616/624-6490
312 79-2105
Joe Dickey
John
S. Copeland
55
Ookey
Av
.
1A Deocan Street
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
Northborout, MA
01532
812/537-9354
fIJ8/3
3-4775
Dale A. Gustafson
Stan Gomoll
7724 Shady Hill
Dr
.
1042 90th Lone, NE
Indianapolis,
IN
46278
M i n n e o ~ l i s
MN
55434
317/2934430
61
/784-1172
Jeannie
Hill
1708 Bay Oaks r.
P.O.
Box 328
Albert Lea. MN
56007
HOIVOld, IL60033
flJ7/3732922
815/9437205
Dean Richardson Robert D. "Bob ' Lumley
6701 Colony
Dr.
1265 South 124th St
.
Madison,
WI
53717 Brookfield, WI 53005
tJJ8/833-
1291 414/7822633
Robert
l i c k t e l ~
S.H. 'Wes" Schmid Geoff Robison
2359 Lefeber
Avenue
1521
E.
MacGregor
Dr.
Wauwatosa,
WI
53213 New Haven, IN 46774
414/771-1545 219/493-4724
George
York
181 Sloboda Av.
Mansfield,
OH 44906
419/5294378
DIRECTORS
EMERITUS
Gene Chase EE "Buck" Hilbert
2159 Carlton Rd. P.O. Box 424
Oshkosh.
WI
54904
Union, IL60
180
920/231-5002 815/923-4591
ADVISORS
Steve Krog Roger Gomoll
1002
Heather Ln. 321-1/2 S.
Broadway
Hartford, WI
53027
Apt. 3
414/96&7627
Rochester, MN
55904
507288-2810
Alan Shackleton
David Bennett
P.O.
Box 656 403 Tonner Ct
.
SugOl
Grove, IL60554.Q656
Roseville
. CA
9567
8
630-466-4931
916-7827025
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STRAIGHT
LEVEL
by ESPIE BUTCH JOYCE
This is the last Vintage Airplane
of you who are making the trip to
year will read until after
return home in August.
When I listed the Judging Chairmen
the June issue, there were a couple
of
would like to correct these
now as I got several
phone
calls
this error. You know the
- wipes out a thou
." Our
members
do read
cover to cover, and we get
good and bad comments on a regu
basis. The correct I
isting
of the
Chailmen
is
as follows .
Antique A wards:
Dale Gustafson , Chairman
317/293-4430
Classic Awards:
Dean Richardson, Chairman
608/257-880 I
Contemporary A wards:
Richard Knutson, Chairman
608/592-3712
While writing about the Judging
I would like
pass along some information about
of
Spencer, Virginia.
Pete
was Co-Chairman of the
An
many
years until his
him not to be able to at
Oshkosh any
more.
t
had
been
since
late' 50s. t was in the mid-sixties
he began to show
his
talent for
aircraft. At
that
time I was
a Pitts
SIC
and Pete was build
an EAA Biplane. We helped each
in looking for parts and other
- at that time homebuilts
Also
,
what
we
now call
Classics
modern aircraft, and I had not
used
a radio , since
the
red and
lights
worked
fine.
One of
the
projects I remember
Pete doing is a
Clipwing Monocoupe
110
Special
that belonged to Morton
Lester. Pete and Morton were cousins
and resided in the same area, and these
two people evolved into a team that was
unmatched. Pete's craftsmanship com
bined with Morton's ability to find and
finance projects brought back many air
craft from a premature grave for all to
enjoy seeing again.
After being ill for some time, Pete
passed away during the second week
of
June. His talent, craftsmanship, and ad
vice will be missed by many people
in
the future.
During the 1998 edition
of
EAA Air
Venture, because of the joint display of
aircraft
with the
NBAA , we will
not
have a Parade of Flight this year. We
will , however, have a number
of
activi
ties you can take part in to add to your
enjoyment.
The Red Barn, located at the North
end of the Antique/Classic area, is the fo-
cal point to check out when an activity
will take place and how you might
be
part of the fun. On the porch or inside
the
Mini-Museum
is our
information
booth, where you can get just about every
one of your questions answered. rf the
people there do not know the answer ,
they'll be able to direct you to a person
who will be able to help with your con
cern.
If
you would just like to sit on the
tour tram and be carried throughout the
showplanes with someone who can de
scribe what you are seeing, we have that
available for you from morning until the
airshow begins.
On Sunday night, August 2, we will
have our annual Antique/Classic Picnic.
Tickets for this scrumptious dinner can
be purchased at the Red Bam. This
is
a
good time for all , but there are a limited
number of seats . Since the tickets sell
very
good
, don't wait too long to pur
chase yours.
Once again this year
we
have the
Antique
/
Classic Fly-Out
to
Shawano
,
Wisconsin. As a pilot , you will be
hosted to a free breakfast sponsored by
the people
of Shawano . You
will
be
back at Oshkosh
in
time to be returned
to your parking spot before the air show
begins. This Fly-Out will be conducted
on Monday, August
3
A first for us this year
is
the addition
of
a metal
working demonstration
,
hosted by a number of metal
shaping
experts. One
of
our expanded efforts to
educate our membership, it will take
place in the workshop tent located next
to the Red Barn. They'll be demonstrat
ing their skills , and at the same time
explaining how you might be able to do
the same yourself.
We will again be running transporta
tion from the first Antique/Classic row
to the last one, row 140 or so. Last year
we had almost 1,200 show aircraft in
the Antique/Classic area alone
All of the showplane camping area
and most
of
the Antique/Classic
area's
layout will remain unchanged this year.
There are a great many
of
changes to the
other areas
of
the Convention site, so
r
would advise you to take time to look at
a site map (it' s included
in
the Conven
tion program which is available from the
Telephone Pioneers of America volun
teers). Check the map before walking a
mile or so , only to find that your que st
has been moved in a different direction
When your day at Oshkosh needs
some relaxation time,
come
join
us at
the Red
Barn
and relax on
the porch
.
Once you have rested, it's a good time
to shop in the merchandise section of
the Red Bam.
Anytime you have any concerns or
need some help with a problem, please
do not hesitate to ask for help at the Red
Barn and
we will do
our best to
help
you. All of your Division Officers, Di
rectors, Advisors, volunteers and myself
want your
stay with us to be a reward
ing experience
. You can
lend
your
support to the membership during the
rest
of
the
year
by
asking your
fellow
pilots to
join
up with us .
Let's
all be
safe out there - we want you to be able
to
continue
to be a
member
for a long
time. Let's all pull in the same direc
tion for the good of aviation.
Remember we are better together. Join
us
and have it all
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
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A/C NEWS
compiled
by
H G Frautschy
PETERSEN MOVES!
Norm
Petersen, who's
been
an Associate
Editor of
EAA
publications for 17 years, has
moved
within
EAA to work full time with the
EAA Information Services staff
headed by Ben
Owen.
As
anybody who
has called
or written
Norm over the
years
can
attest, he's long been
a fountain of
knowledge
on the widely varying
aspects
of
sport
aviation,
from
homebuilding
(he
built
his
Starduster
II N7NP
back
in
the
1970's)
to float flying (when the next person
on the staff
gets
their float
rating,
that'll make
two float pilots
on EAA's
staffi).
That doesn't mean that
he's
not
going to ap
pear in print any more
(who
else
could write
"Vintage Seaplanes"?), but
it
does mean that he
will get to do one of the things he
does
best-
interact on
a daily basis
with EAA members
from across
the
world, helping them solve the
questions that come up for each as they enter
the world of sport aviation.
We
certainly
wish Norm the best
in
his new
endeavor, and
we
thank him
for
the
thousands
of words he's written to further the cause of
vintage
aviation
.
Great
job so far,
Norm!
If you're looking for an elusive
bit
of
info,
or just
need some help
getting started
on
a
restoration
or
homebuilt project,
as
an
EAA
and Antique /Classic member you
can
get the
information
you
need from EAA's Informa
tion Services. Want
to
know
how
you
can
have
2" high
registration
numbers on your vin
tage airplane? They'll cite
you
the FAR and
head you in the right direction. It's just one of
the
many ways
EAA stands ready
to help
you
- give them a call,
at
1-920-426-4821, or
-6761
(Fax), or E-mail them
at
infoserv
.eaa.org. You
can even send them a letter via
regular
mail (!)
at
Information Services, EAA
,
P.O.
Box 3086,
Oshkosh
,
Wl 54903-3086.
2 ULY 1998
ELECT ION R
EMINDER
Don't forget
to mail
in
your ballot for the
election of officers and Directors of the
EAA
Antique
/
Classic Division. Included in
the June
issue, just tear it out, fill in
the
appropriate
blanks
and
send it
on
its way with
a stamp
on
it. To be
counted,
it must
be
received
no
later
than
July
27, 1998.
PARKlNG AT OSHKOSH?
We'd all like to make a volunteer's job a
lit
tle easier as they stand in an orange vest directing
a line of
airplanes to the right spot
for
parking.
You can
do
your part by making
up
a legible
sign to
hold
up
to the Flight Line Operations
volunteers after you clear
the
runway at EAA
AirVenture
Oshkosh '98. If you're flying an
Antique
(built
on or prior to August 3 ,
1945)
,
Classic
1145
through 12-55)
or
Contemporary
(1955 through 1960) into the
Convention,
make
up a
sign that
you
can read
from 50
feet away
(filling
up an 8-112 x
II
sheet of
paper
would
work
well)
with
the
letters "ACC" printed
on
it. Got
a seaplane? SP .
How
about your
buddy flying in with his
Cherokee?
GAC
(General
Aviation
Camping)
or
GAP
Gen
eral Aviation
Parking). Even the
warbirds
can
do
it
-
WB
- as can the homebuilts -
HR .
NEED EAA AIRVENTURE INFO?
If you're planning
to attend
EAA
AirVen
ture by
flying
in
, you'll
need to obtain
a copy of
the NOT AM issued by the FAA. The easiest
way
is to
sinlply pull
it
out of the
June
issue of
Sport
Aviation
-
it is located between pages
80
and 81.
You can
also
access
it via EAA's "Fax
On
Demand" service. Call 732-885-6711
and
e
ready
to enter the
Fax
number you
wish
to
have
a copy of
the Fax-On-Demand Directory sent
to. Follow the
voice
prompts for your instruc
tions. The NOT
AM is also available on EAA
AirVenture's website
at http
//www.flyin.org
[fyou're
planning on flying in no-radio,
it
is required you
follow
the
NORDO proce
dures exactly at this
late
date,
you should get
your copy
as
soon
as
possible.
We
strongly
recommend
you
obtain your
copy of the NOT AM as early as
you can
and
familiarize
yourself
with the
instructions. It's
not hard
to fly
in, and many
pilots consider it
a
lot of
fun, but
there are a
lot
of aircraft
in
bound
to Oshkosh, and
it
helps knowing what
you're
supposed to
be
doing without having to
rustle through the papers
in the
cockpit trying
to find the
NOT
AM.
Keep your eyes outside
and follow
the
controller's directions, and
we'll
see you at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh!
TYPE CLUB ADDITION
Howard Aircraft
Foundation
P.O. Box 252,
Volga, WV
26238
D
ues: $15.00 per year
Newsletter: 4 issues per year
E-Mail: HowardClub@members.aol.com or
dbs@fscvax.wvnet.edu
We
b p
age
:
http://members.aol.com/HowardClub
Submitted by:
Dav
id B.Schober, CPE
Instructor,
Aviation Maintenance
Fairmont
State College
National Aerospace Education Center
Rt. 3
Box
13, Bridgeport, WV 26330-9503
(304)
842-8300
BARRY
GOL
D
WATE
R
One of America's most ardent support of
military
and
civilian aviation has passed
away
at
the
age of89. Barry
Goldwater
is
known to
most
of the nation as the founder ofmodem
day
conservatism, an
influence
that continues
after
his
death, but to
EAAer's
around
the
world,
he
is remembered for his
love of
aviation, and his
willingness to put his enthusiasm
into
action
.
When asked, he enthusiastically added
his
efforts
to
EAA's "Wings
On
Dreams"
cam
paign, serving
as the
chairman of that
fund
raising
drive that would result in the realiza
tion and
construction of
the
EAA Aviation
Center in Oshkosh.
Long
respected
for his
views
on aviation
matters, he
also served on
EAA's President's Council. For EAA, his
legacy lives
on in
the
Goldwater Conference
Center, which
is
decorated
with
plaques which
feature half-shell model airplanes of many of
the
over 160 different aircraft, both civilian
and military, he flew
during
his lifetime
as a
civilian aviator
and
in
the
military ,
where
he
eventually rose to the
rank
of Major General in
the
Air
Force Reserve.
GEO RGE GRUNDY
The
name George Gundy may
not leap to
one's mind when pioneer aviation is talked
about, but
it
may from now on, for
George
was
the very last
of
his kind
- he
was the sole
re
maining Early Bird, having soloed prior to
December 17,1916. George, the
son of
wealt
hy
New York family whose fortune
was
sufficient to allow the young Grundy the
chance to dabble in just about anything his
heart desired, took
up
flying
as a
sport while
a
teenager. He soloed
a
Benoist biplane on Sep
tember 17, 1916, a short time after his 18th
birthday. Last
year, both
he
and
fellow Early
Bird Walter 1. Addems
were
presented
with
Early Bird pins which had
been
flown on the
space shuttle Atlantis in the summer of 1997.
Addems passed away this past November,
making Grundy
the
last
man in
their last
man's club." Grundy, who was 99
years
old
at
the time of his passing, had managed to
survive
the turbulent
early
days of
aviation
even
though
he
had done some airshow wing walking
, as
well
as instructing
at
his father
's
"Staten Island
School ofAviation" (his dad never showed any
interest in
aviation,
preferring
to run
various
businesses rather than
run
an engine). Aviation
was a youthful avocation
for
Grundy, who
moved
on
to other things, remaining a busi
nessman
until
his retirement to Florida.
....
http:///reader/full/infoserv.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/infoserv.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/infoserv.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/http//www.flyin.orghttp:///reader/full/http//www.flyin.orghttp:///reader/full/http//www.flyin.orgmailto:HowardClub@members.aol.commailto:dbs@fscvax.wvnet.eduhttp://members.aol.com/HowardClubhttp:///reader/full/infoserv.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/http//www.flyin.orgmailto:HowardClub@members.aol.commailto:dbs@fscvax.wvnet.eduhttp://members.aol.com/HowardClub -
8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 1998
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FRANCE AFTER THE
GREAT
WAR
This is a rather belated answer to Re
Clark s letter and photo of an
ne factory in France during
1
See page 4, March issue) .
The building containing all the air
is
not a factory.
t
is part
of
the
iant U.S. Army Air Service Production
at Romorantin, France. The
was taken after the war, when hun
of
French and German warplanes
ssembled and stored for ship
to
the U.
S.
With the exception
of
Fokker D.V
II s,
over 100 SPAD
, 204 S.E.5 s and SA s,
43
Nieu
24 s
and 20
Nieuport
28
s, relatively
of
these got to the U.S., much less
up and flown here .
The photo is one
of
quite a few offi
taken
of
the interior
of
the
reduced to post
size and could be bought in the Post
of
these have
up in various photo collections as
ly albums. I have a few , and
ab
le
to
borrow others
to
copy .
Enclosed are three different views that
interest Vintage Airplane readers.
To comment on
Ms
. Clark
s
photo
right front, the airplanes
built British Sopwith 1-1 /2
The French unloaded just over
of
these obsolescent two-seaters on
A.E.F. Nearly 70 got shipped to the
The fourth plane, judging from its
is a French
14 . Those farther down the line
to be
Nieuports.
Sincerely,
Peter M. Bowers
EAA 977, AlC
758
Seattle, WA
Continued
on page -
This
view shows most of the factory-new
that were shipped to the U.S.
dozen
were
used
at McCook Field for test
new
engines
up to
300
hp.
Others went
Army
flying schools in
Texas
while
some
were
Squadrons as
backup for the
XIII s and S.E.S s wi th which they were
served as
squadron hacks.
VINTAGE
AeroMail
(Right) This could be a
view across
the
aisle
from Ms. Clarks photo.
The plane front
left
is
another 1-1/ 2 Strutter,
and i ts
rudder
, with
French stripes and let
tering, is
on
the ground
under its
nose
.
The
next
four are
Nieuport 24s.
Three
of
their rudders
have
stripes
in
the American
order, with the blue
at
the trailing
edge . The
rudder on the fourth
Nieuport has the stripes
in the French order; red
at the trailing edge. Father down the line, under an unidentiflable model, is a rudder with stripes
in
the
erroneous and little-used American stripe order of red
at
the trailing edge blue, and white at the front.
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE
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e orthin
by
JOHN UNDERWOOD
EAA
1989 C
1653)
In 1976
the
EAA Aviation
Foundation was given a collec-
tion ofglass
plate
negatives by
W L Worthington EAA 100415)
of Inglewood, CA. The photog-
rapher is unknown but we do
know he worked
for
the promi-
nent
Packard
dealer, in
Los
Angeles, Earle C. Anthony. An-
thony was a pioneering motorist,
who built
his
own car as a
teenager, circa 1900. It is said
he was involved in the first auto-
mobile accident in Los Angeles
He later owned radio and televi-
sion stations. The photographer
was tasked with showing
off
the
Pa
cka rds in the best light, and
that often meant combining avi-
ation and the autos.
Noted
aviation writer John
Underwood has lived
in th
e Los
Angeles area
for
many
years
and has had an
interest
in
the
aviation
history Southern
California, long a hotbed ofavi-
ation activity. We asked him to
look over the collection and fill
in
details he may have regarding
the peo
pl
e or airplanes shown in
the photos. Thanks for your help,
John
HG F
(Left)
Cactus
Kate's Kid , a Packard Eight
painted rather loudly, shows
up
in a few of the
photos taken at Burbank. On the right is
John
Macready, one of the Shell 11 pilots under Jimmy
Doolittle.
The
Lockheed Vega, NC926Y, ended
up in the Lithuanian Air Force following
its
hitch
as Shell
No.4.
(Lower left) The Lockheed assembly hangar at
Burbank, CA. That's not a Russian 6-wheeler with
the red star, but a
Ford
Model A
2 Ton
truck. The
same vehicle was built in Russia from 1929
onward Into
WW
-II.
(Below) Lockheed Vega SIN 24, NC194E, after
being repossessed from Brock & Schlee, who
operated
an
airline out of Detroit (on floats). It
crashed
soon
after this picture was taken, with
fatal results.
4
JULY
1998
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Pictures on this page This Vega 5,
C744
was
another rock
and
The automobile is a
ackard Sport Roadster.
The
photo
ust
have been
taken
in
929
ecause the Vega was
written off early
that
year. There are no license
on
the Packard, and the two
remain
unknown
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(Above and right)
We ve published these photos in the past,
but they certainly deserve another look.
Everybody
loved
Marvel Crosson.
She helped
her
brother
Joe run
a garage in
San
Diego so
he
could take time off to learn to fly.
Then
Joe taught Marvel in 1923-1924. She
held
a
Commercial
Pilot
s
license
and
flew
in
Alaska before entering the
first
Womens
Transcontinental Air Derby becoming a fatali
ty on the
second
leg,
probably
due to carbon
monoxide poisoning.
The
Viking Sedan auto
mobile
was
close kin to the Olds and
LaSalle
but only lasted the 1929-30 seasons.
The
Travel
Air must
be one
of the
San Diego
Air
Service s W 40005. This was a very rare
model and
the SDAS
had
a fleet of them.
Joe
later became a
Pan
American executive.
(Right and below) Herb Lippiatt, (in helmet,
gog-
gles
and
lace-up flying boots) with his first Travel
Air 4000,
powered
with a Wright 14
Lipp
became
the Los Angeles area distributor for Travel Air
before switching to
Waco. He was
outstandingly
successful in aircraft sales and
had
the
Cessna
line in 1947
when he
died suddenly. Most likely
these photos were taken at the old Clover Field
in Santa Monica.
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(Photos on this page) Center stage
In this series of shots Is Ryan B-5
Brougham NC73 M . This airplane
belonged
to
Ted
Glldred, Sr., of
San
Diego, C and
It
's the one he flew
to
Ecuador with Dean Farran in March
April 1931. A similar 8-5, painted in
the same markings, is on display In
the San Diego Aerospace museum in
Balboa Park. The original airplane
was named Ecuador. The Glldreds
had
business Interests in South
America, Including the Culver Cadet
agency in
Peru
.
VINTAGE
IRPL NE
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"JUSTLITTLE TRIP
AR
OUND
THE
PATCH"
by
NEAL
F. WRIGHT,
Cessna 120/140
Club
THE G S
C P
STORY
One
of
our Cessna 12 14 club members and an associ
ate had the exciting and traditional
moment of
terror" n his
Cessna 140. The plane, fully fueled and going for its first
flight after an electronics addition at a remote foothill air
port, was being flown off a field which had a
cliff
at the end,
with the town below some several hundreds
of
feet. Just off
the end
of
the runway, near the edge of the cliff, the engine
quit. After the pilot did all the recommended things, the en
gine caught just above the power poles along the streets. A
climb
and
a safe
landing from
a very
high downwind
was made.
Knowing that stopped engines often mean fuel starvation,
the FBO removed the gas caps in turn and when the brand
new half-vented gas cap on
the right tank
was removed,
a
moaning sigh was apparent to all the bystanders- the tank
apparently had not been
vented
during the
exciting
half
of
the flight. A vacuum developed as the fuel
was
used until
vacuum and the hydraulic head of fue l were equal, meaning
no more flow. Fortunately, there was only one of the new
half-vented gas caps on the plane and the emergency switch
over to the norn1ally-vented tank allowed fu ll fuel flow and
recovery before the lower elevation landing that seemed so
imminent only lifetime-long moments before.
Upon
inspec
tion
of
the new cap, t was noted that the red silicone "valve"
of
the new-style gas cap had adhered to its seat and had not
allowed any air to flow into the tank.
The
red silicone valve
of
the gas cap should not have sealed to its seat, but it had
and could on others.
The new half-vented cap had been a mandated addition at
the recent annual, supposedly to comply with the Airworthi
ness Directive 79-10-14 rl (referred to as the AD from here
on)
. The big town
prominent and well-paid FBO
A I
had
been
adamant
... buy the new gas cap and install it or we
won't sign off the plane What the "expert" missed was that
the cap should only be used on l40A and subsequent Cessnas,
not on the older 120s and 140s. There was no admonishment
n the AD nor was there any literature from the gas cap man
ufacturer about the risk
of
using the caps on
other
types
of
planes. These participants
weren't
the first or the last to be
misled since the half-vented cap continues to be misused to
this day,
and
there
are
120s
and
140s
out
there
at
serious
risk right now.
Every time this event of loss
of
power and the quick de
scent is discussed ,
someone
mentions that
if
the plane had
landed
or
crashed in the street, it would have been
another
accident totted up to pilot
error
because, by the time the
FAAINTSB fellows did their thing, the tank with the stuck
valve would have been bent-vented by a
power
pole in the
street. Since planes built during the same as the 12 14 period
shared common
small parts
like
gas caps,
it
seems
likely
that other types
of
planes may now have the same potential
for stoppages
if
the owners have purchased the half-vented
caps without knowing their hidden dangers. And yes, even
the Cessna dealers will sell you the wrong caps because they
know that all those little planes are the same". The half
vented" cap looks like this:
Air Inlet Port 3)
Allen Head Screw
Gasket
i I I I I I ' _ i i i l l l _ i i i i i l l l l l . ~
Retainer Cap Body
Polyethylene
Lugs (2)
Spring Washer
Silicone
Valve Holder
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This
text refers to a half-vented
gas cap
though that term will
not be found
elsewhere;
I
use that
name
because that
is
what
it
does
and no other name so descriptive has appeared in
the research.
It is
half-vented
in that
it
is supposed
to
allow air inflow
to
the
tank,
but prevents
any
outflow
of
air or fumes or even
fuel if
the
fuel
ex
pands from
heat.
It is a nicely designed unit , looks good,
and the
culprit
model appears about
like
the
illustration
above suggests.
Why was the
gas cap designed to be half-vented? The
140A
and later Cessnas have three features which our older planes
lacked: I) a forward-facing tank vent
on
top o
the wing,
2)
a
juncture ofthis common vent
to
a tub e running between tanks
to
allow sharing
the
common vent, plu s
3)
non-ve nted gas caps
on
both tanks. Vent blockages occurred
on
the newer planes, fuel
stoppages occurred, and
th
at
led
to
the AD for the
Cessna planes
starting with
the 140A.
Properly
used
on the designated planes,
the
cure mandated by
the
AD
would
provide an alternate
path for inflow
of
air as
fuel
is
used even
if
the
common external vent has a blockage. Mandating
only one new cap instead
of
two was
based on
the
premise
that,
i
one
blockage
was
possible
but
unlikely, then
two
vents (the
new
half-vent cap and
the
original common vent) would surely
make
a
blockage statistica
ll
y
imposs
ible. The problem outlined here
is
not a complaint of
poor design
,
but
rather of
the
misapplication of
the
half-vented caps. They sho uld not be us
ed on
airplanes suc h
as our Cessna 1201140 s which depend on full-vented caps.
The
Airworthiness directive 79-10-14 rI states (paraphrased)
...To
provide an alternate source o fuel tank venting in case
of.. .vent obstruction
by
foreign material. This can
be
accom
plished by the
new half-vented
(my word) fuel caps
.
There
is no diagram in
the
AD
show
ing the
vent
systems, either
before or
after
the modification. In hindsight
,
based on
the
misuse
ofthe half-venting
caps, it
is unfortunate that
the AD did
not note
the half-vent
feature,
it
did
not show a system , and it contained
no
admonishments about not using the gas cap for a type
o
sys
tem
which was
not
made for
it
and
could be vent-strangled
by
it.
Do you see
the
trap? It is made up o three things: a) the
new
mandated
gas
caps were
half-vented,
which means
that
they will
let air in
,
given that the valve in them is
faultless,
but they will not
let air or fumes or expandingfilel out, one of those little things
the fails t mention; b)
the
gas caps are supposed
to
be used
only on the 140As
of
our group, plus all
other Cessnas
that have
a
common fuel vent, but that
was not
made crystal clear either by
the
AD
or
the
manufacturer of
the
cap
or
the
STC for the caps
or
the
distributors and dealers; and c)
Cessna
owners
are
unaware of
the
hazard so they blithely assume the new caps must be better
than the old ones, and , if they are good for the 140As, they must
therefore be okay
for the 120s and the 140
s'
When
misapplied,
with or without having a stuck silicone
valve
, pilots
and tanks are
at risk.
Here 's what the vented and non
vented cap looks
like
The original cap
(top)
for the
Cessna 120s
and
140s look
some
thing like this, with the two vent holes
providing air inflow or fume outflow
without restriction.
They are
both
way vents since fumes can
exit
and
air can enter without any valve inter
fering. The non-vented cap (bottom)
looks identical,
but without the vent
holes, only weld bumps which secure
the inner cap to the outer cap.
The half-vented cap sectioned, indicating the free flow of
fumes or air i f the silicone valve is removed.
The important part of the
cap showing
the
silicone
valve is shown as
though it
has two
wings, but
really
is round.
The same view, but with the silicone valve in the closed po
Sition, as
it
would be
if
the pressure on the tank side is the
same or greater than the pressure outside the tank. The air
flow,
of
course, is shown halted. Not only fumes can t get
out, but fuel
can't get
out
if it happens to ex
pand from being heated
by the sun.
If the 120/140
takes off on the left tank,
and if the right tank has
the half-vent cap, then
there
is
a hazard
if
the
pressure
builds up
as
the alti tude increases
This greatly expanded view shows what the silicone valve
looks like.
The material and
shape of the valve ensure
the valve is pliable so as to open easily. The valve is 5/8
in diameter.
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE
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These
half-vented
caps
should never be used on
a
plane
that was
designed to be dependent upon the
through-hole , two-way venting, individual gas caps A
hot sun, a full tank, a long wait between flights, and some
of
the new fue l
which
sme lls so odd and gums so we ll can
cause grief.
If
the tanks on our 120s and 140s can ' t get air in
when they need it to replace the fuel volume depleted when
flying because the silicone valve sticks to its seat, then that
is one hazard, and another hazard exists when the plane
with the new cap is heated by the sun . With a half-vented
cap installed, the effect
of
the force
of
the expansion
of
the
fuel, and the fumes within, should be quite a sight to behold
when the fumes or fuel can t get out, as would also be the
case simply from altitude-induced pressure differentials .
The
tanks and the wings and the fuel system
downstream
can suffer extreme trauma from the pressure Remember
These half-vented caps are designed to only let air in, and
nothing out. The greater the pressure from the inside, the
tighter a seal the silicone va lve will make. (Since this was
written, I have heard from 12 11 40 owners who now under
stood why their sealed tanks bulged and/or leaked with the
half-vented caps )
Systems
The AD had no diagrams, as though written by someone
who did not really understand what he was describing, or
maybe there were too many variations to cover properly;
here, note the "normal" 1201140 early and late versions and
the "normal" 140A fuel systems and then take a look at the
expected action
of
the half-vented gas caps. To make the
systems simpler, items such as drain cocks and gas gauges
are not depicted.
The
early Cessna
120 140
version of the fuel system. Note
that
if
one tank cap inlet vent is blocked, as happened with
the 140 mentioned in the beginning
of
this article, there is no
other source of inlet air to replace the volume of fuel used.
Note,
too
that
if
a tank vent is
outflow
blocked, there is no
way for internal tank pressure from solar heating to escape
so the tank will have to bulge; the half-vented caps are that
style. They prevent any outflow of air, fumes or fuel and are
meant
to allow only inflow, and that only if the silicone valve
doesn t stick
The later 120/140s had a tank- to-tank vent tube added as
this sketch indicates. In the event one gas cap was blocked ,
both tanks could still vent in both directions.
The as-designed Cessna 140A fuel system, again simplified
and stylized
to
show only that there
is
a tank vent and no-vent
caps. If the single vent is blocked by a hornet's nest or ice,
there is no way to get fuel out of either tank after a vacuum de
velops from fuel outflow. Venting was totally dependent on the
single, top of the wing common vent.
The Cessna 140A tank system with the AID mandated re
dundant half-vented gas cap installed. The new cap allows
air inflow as the fuel is used in the event the central vent is
blocked.
Otherwise,
the tanks
breathe
just
as in
the
older
120/140s. Note that if the central vent is blocked, there is
danger of tank pressurization for a plane
on
the ground.
Continued
on p ge
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ulyMystery Plane
I
pril
Mystery
Plane
t seems a lot
of
you remembered this
good looking cabinjob from before WW-II.
Supplied by James Rezich, Winnebago, IL,
it
is ... well, I'll let Charley Hayes
tell
you ...
Hi
H.G.,
Something supernatural says
surely
the April Mystery Plane is the
one ofa-
kind Wendt.
Charley Hayes
New Lenox, IL
Here' s what Ralph Nortell, Spokane,
WA
wrote:
The Mystery Plane for April is the
Wendt
W-1 , Series 400 monoplane. Introduced in
Aero Digestfor Feb. 1938, the Wendt W-1
was described as a two-place, dual-con
trol monoplane ofconventional design
and structure. Power was a 90 hp Warner
Scarab Jr . , and
performance
figures
listed were: high speed, 140 mph, cruise,
125, landing speed, 30; and a range of
600 miles. The trim proportions included a
span of29'9 , and a length of19'9 .
Western Flying
Annual
Directory of
April,
1939
lists the Wendt as the Fal
coner
W-2
Series 400.
The
only apparent
significant change was a new wing o
NACA airfoil section,
in
place
of
the orig
inal Clark Y
Aero Digest Annual Directory ofMarch,
1940 lists the Wendt as the Swift W-2 , now
powered by a Ken Royce/LeBlond 5-F
of
90
hp.
No other significant changes were
indicated.
As
there are no later listings,
the Wendt apparently faded out with other
promising aircraft o the
period
with
ATC Pending.
The Wendt W was designed and built
by
the Wendt Aircraft
Corp
., North
Tonawanda, NY. President and Treasurer
was George W. Wendt; Sales Manager,
George Contant; V.P .l
Secretary
Kopf;
General Manager, Robert Klimas.
Unfortunately, we didn't receive word
as to its final disposition, but it did prove
From Brian Baker comes
this month's Mystery Plane
which does look a bit like
our
answer
plane this
time - but it is different
Your answer
needs
to
be
in
to
EAA HQ no
later
than
August 25
1998
for inclu-
sion
in
the October
issue of
Vintage Airplane.
by
H G
Frautschy
to be one-of-a-kind. We hope to dig up
more
on the
Wendt,
and
when
we do,
we ll
do an article on the airplane else
where in the magazine, where more space
will allow a more in depth feature.
Correct answers were received from:
Robert Nelson, Bismark, ND and David
M. Albright, Cincinnati, OH, who both
sent in a copy
of
the factory brochure;
Marty Eisenmann, Alta Lorna, CA; Larry
Beidleman, Granada Hills, CA;
Peter
Havriluk, Granby, CT;
Archie
Block,
Cozad, NE; Charles Trask, York Haven,
PA; Ted Giltner, Tamaqua, PA; William
Knox, Woodstock, GA; James B. Hays,
Brownwood, TX; Doug Rounds, Zebu
lon, GA; Ken Muxlow, Minneapolis, MN
WendtW-l
and Russ Brown, Lyndhurst, OH.
Earl Leverentz, Jackson, TN also sent
in
a response, and a big surprise-he has
most
of
the drawings for a Wendt W-2
Swift, and is nearly complete with its con
struction! We'll have more on the Wendt
and
this
project in a
future issue
of
Vintage Airplane.
Send
your Mystery Plane correspon
dence to:
Vintage Mystery Plane
EAA
P.O. Box 3086
Oshkosh,
WI
54903-3086
. . .
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aving
an
eye
for
esthetically pleas
ing lines has long been a part
of
the life of David Gay (EAA
397118
AlC
20291), Orlando, FL. One
of
the
principles of Gay and Morrissey Archi
tectural Group
in
Winter Park,
he
and his
partner
are
one
of
the featured architects
in
Disney's planned community, Celebration.
The flowing lines
of
an airplane have
also been a strong part
of
his life since
he
was a youngster. His photo album for
the
Stearman
starts
off
with
a
shot of
Dave as a proud fifth grader, holding his
new Carl Goldberg
2A
Skylane. Al
ways busy with his hands ,
David s
late
father Jerry, bought him and his brother
Jerry a table saw when Dave was seven
years old. He was given plans for
an
8
ft
.
long rowboat and the plywood to build
it
for his eighth birthday. Dave gives a lot
of
credit
to
his dad for taking the time to
carefully show the boys how to use the
tools correctly and work with a wide va
riety of materials.
Dave built surfboards during his col
lege years to earn money, and he and
his
brother Jerry
restored an
Aeronca
Jim Koepnick
7EC Champ when they were teenagers.
He s
also built a few houses along the
way as well.
Amazingly , this is only his second
aircraft restoration. He s owned a Super
Cub and
a
Husky since restoring the
Champ, and 7 years ago he went for a
ride in a Stearman at Bob White Field.
When
he
got
in
the cockpit, the pilot said
to him, "This is probably going to be an
expensive ride for you." He was right
In October of
1993
Dave bought
a
project from Mike Danforth, who had re
cently purchased a basketcase to get a
few
parts
he
needed
for repairs.
Mike
had been involved in a mid-air collision,
which fortunately didn't result
in
serious
injury . But his Stearman needed repair
ing , and the
rest of
it
was
available.
David spent the next couple of months
simply sorting out the parts and pieces
of
seven wings (all rotten,
but
with good
hardware) a very good fuselage (it had
been cut for the duster modification, but
was hung up
in
'47 and never completed)
and all sorts
of
other miscellaneous parts.
Dave took the fuselage to Jim Kimball's
shop
in
Zellwood, FL, where Jim did the
welding to return the fuselage back to its
original configuration. After sandblast
ing, a coat
of
epoxy primer, followed by
a topcoat
of
urethane paint
in
the appro
priate
shade
of green
to
duplicate
the
look
of
zinc chromate.
Dave s philosophy on tackling the
project was similar to any large project
that can be intimidating. Break
it
up into
a series
of smaller
projects, finishing
each one and then moving on to the next.
Each one became a two-week project, or
whatever it called for. The landing gear
seemed like a good place to start, so he
had
it taken apart by Joe Wright
in
Hamilton, OH, who had the fixture and
hydraulic press needed to disassemble the
struts. The parts then went back
to
David,
who reworked the oleo struts and put
in
a
new set
of
chevron
seals. The
brakes
were next, with a used set
of
Hayes brakes
getting replacement pads, and the slave
cylinders
getting
replaced
with over-
hauled units. The brake master cylinder
is
one
of
the "new-restored" made by Gid
Air, with the original housing used in
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Far
left)
The
moming after the awards ceremo-
ny, David
Gay
is all smiles
as
he
proudly holds
the 1998
Sun
'n Fun Antique
Grand
Champion.
Above) With
the
side panels
lifted the
Stearman
is
a great example of
an
early military
airplane designed for easier maintainability) the
cockpit controls and firewall forward equipment
can be seen.
All of the green paint
is
a urethane
enamel, carefully matched in color to the dark
zinc
chromate
used on
the original.
Upper right) As
an
expedient method to inspect
the fittings, the Stearman features these trans-
parent inspection panels
at
critical brace and
control locations on the wings and tail.
(Below)
The
cockpit of the Stearman is
as
close
as
one
can get to the original from the days of
WW-II, right down to the wide lap belts. He even
has the original instrument panel facia covers, a
rare item these days.
conjunction with a new sleeve. Starting
his
project also
put
him
in touch with
one
of
the world's leading suppliers
of
Stearman parts
n
Chickasha, OK.
I
purchased a new gas tank from
Dusters
Sprayer
Supply, along with
about a jillion other parts from them,"
said David. " I basically took the whole
airplane down to its very smallest com-
ponent and rebuilt
t
from the ground up .
I've replaced all
of
the bearings and put
n new control cables, old wear surfaces
and tried my best to keep everything in
an authentic stock condition, other than
fabric and the finish."
Covered in aircraft quality Dacron ,
with the final finish is a urethane paint
that
s
no longer available. He opted for
the 1942 yellow wings and blue fuse-
lage scheme, with the red and white
striped tail.
The
wings, as
mentioned before,
were a real mess, and their rebuilt took
almost a year and a half
of
effort. A set
of wing ribs of outstanding workman-
ship were built by Jeff Morgan, and they
comprised the core
of
the wing restora-
tion. Having a complete set
of
blueprint
microfiche of all the Stearman drawings,
and a full set
of
assembly drawings also
made putting the parts back together a
lot
easier
,
but
you still have to do the
work It was also a
big
help that there
are eight other Stearmans based on Bob
White Field n North Orlando, so he has
plenty
of
support.
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"Bob White Field is just a real friendly
place for tail draggers and there's a lot
of
local Steannan knowledge," says David.
He also wanted to point out the support
and encouragement, not to mention ex
pertise, he was given by Jim and Kevin
Kimball, along with Jim s brother, AI,
who helped with the reconstruction of the
ailerons. Plenty
of
other folks helped as
well. Tim Preston is a flight instructor in
Steannans at Bob White Field, and Steve
Fletcher, who used to own this particular
airplane,
is
a duster in Immokalee, FL.
Dave's wife, Ann had been very tolerant
and encouraging, allowing various parts
of
the airplane to be stored
in
and around
the house during the restoration. The
Gay s home, a traditional Florida design
with a tin roof, has a large porch pro
tected with a beautiful overhang. At the
beginning of the restoration, the 220 hp
Continental was stored on the front porch,
and in the best tradition of having fun
with a restoration, they decorated
it
with
Christmas decorations when they held a
holiday party Later, the engine would go
out to Claude Holland of Holland Aircraft
Engines - it would prove to be one of the
last engines overhauled by Claude.
Along
with Ann, his other two
biggest supporters are Rachel and
Lorena
, the Gay s daughters.
Lorena
has really taken to flying, and enjoys it
very much. Flipping through the restora
tion book, we can watch the girls grow,
as they were 8 and II years of age when
the Stearman project was started, and
are now 3 and
6
now.
Other helpers include Jim, Connie,
Bryan and Joel Smith who are the Gay's
next door neighbors, and Gary Osoling,
a friend of David's. Michael Morrissey
is his
business
partner,
who
was also
taken with the project. Special thanks
also go to Roger Painter, who allowed
him access to his Stearman, including
about 50 hours of flight time as Dave
got ready to fly his
biplane. Finally
,
Dave ' s brother Jerry, who also helped
rebuild the Champ, also helped on the
Steannan. Jerry put
in
lots of hours dur
ing the restoration, and continually gave
encoragement.
First flown on March 16, a small
gathering of
family
and
friends
wit-
nessed the PT -17 roar down the runway
at Bob White and reclaim the sky. The
next month,
David brought the Stear
man over to Lakeland-Linder Regional
Fly-In for the 1998 edition
of
the Sun ' n
Fun EAA Fly-In, where it was awarded
the Grand Champion Antique trophy. ....
6 ULY 998
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I
was
Sunday,
March 16, the day
be
fore
St. Patrick's Day. My
day.
After
consulting
with
noted
air racer
Klaus
Savier
EAA
258013), master builder
Joe
Krybus (EAA 140019) had finished the
adjustments
to
the Ellison Throttle Body
injector.
His
work
was done.
The owner,
Bruce Kemper (EAA 22106) and I pre
pared
it for
flight.
Bruce's
friend
,
Kathym
Mora, carefully recorded the events
by
photograph, video camera and tape
recorder, transcribing
all
that
was
said
and
done. t
was
rolled out
of Joe's hangar
and
was now
ready
for flight.
Bruce tumed to
me and
said,
Are
you ready
to go? I
was
a
little
overwhelmed,
but
yes,
I
was
ready.
t was my tum
to fly
the
Jungmeister.
Bruce
Kemper has been an antique
air
plane
pilot since
the mid
1950's, owning
several Stearmans, a Waco UPF-7
and
a
PT
-22. He
flew into Santa Paula Airport
by
PAT
QUINN
EAA 261
781
A / C 10079
one day following some aerobatic dual
with the great Lindsay Parsons. Lindsay
introduced Bruce
to
the legendary Mira
Slovak, who
offered Bruce an opportunity
to fly his 180 hp Lycoming powered
Bucker Jungmann
of
his
own.
In
the 1960s the Swiss Air Force re
leased
to
private ownership its fleet
of
Bucker Jungmeister Bu-133 aircraft that
had
been manufactured under license
by
Domier prior
to WW-JI.
Bruce traveled to
Switzerland
and
purchased
as
many Jung
meisters
as he
could get. Bruce met and
became friends with Albert Ruesch , the
late, great Swiss Bucker pilot and many
time European aerobatic champion. For
nearly 30 years, Albert ran
an
aerobatic
school
at
Porrentruy, Switzerland utilizing
Jungmanns and Jungmeisters .
So
well
thought
of
was Ruesch that the Swiss
government made it mandatory for all
Swissair and Swiss Air Force pilots
to
graduate from
his
aerobatic course.
Bruce retumed
home from his
buying
spree with
six
Jungmeisters
for his friends
and himself. A couple of years later he re
ceived a phone call from Albert Ruesch
suggesting that
he
purchase a
very
special
Jungmeister that
he had found for sale
,
U
n
This was
in
Ruesch's opinion , the
sweetest flying Jungmeister around .
t
was built by Dornier
in
1940 as serial
number
19
and had been registered as
HB-MKK
on the
Swiss civil registry.
Bruce bought
and
shipped this beauty
home to Santa Monica, CA. Knee deep
in
Buckers
and
going through a personal
crisis , he placed it in the back
of
his
hangar unassembled where
it
languished
in
storage.
Eventually, it became the sample air
frame for a planned modernizing using a
VINTAGE IRPL NE 7
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U-72
and Joe
Krybus in flight over one of the
many
fertile valleys
in
southern California with
the Barksdale church just below the left wheel
in
this
photograph_
The
cockp it of Bucker Jungmeister U-72 com
plete with the offset control
sti k
and modern
Instruments. The
fold down
sides allow the cock
pit to neatly surround the pilot without restrict
ing their view.
180
Lycoming firewall forward conver
sion kit for Ruesch's Jungmeister fleet.
Unfortunately, the kit
builder
Hank
Kennedy of Santa Paula, CA
was
killed
in
an unrelated flying accident and that pro
gram died with him .
U-72 sat around another fifteen years
18 JULY 1998
while Bruce flew his Seimens-powered
Jungmeister, U-88 , and a newly com
pleted Jungmann with a 180 hp Lycoming
powerplant owned by Bruce and Ken
Williams. But that old What if? seed
had been planted, so Bruce asked Joe
Krybus, one
of
the most knowledgeable
Bucker experts in the country, if not the
world, to plug U-72 into his
Bucker
restoration shop
at
Santa Paula on a part
time basis. Recently, with some shop
time available, the project was attacked
in earnest. The plan was to restore the
plane using modern materials where
needed for practical flying but keeping it
as original appearing as possible.
And
, oh
yes
, install that 180 hp Lycoming that Al-
bert Ruesch had dreamed about. The
result was breathtaking.
Finally, on March 9,1997, it was ready
for the first flight. That honor went to
Bruce, followed by Joe Krybus. Another
flight was taken
by
Joe a few days later.
The fourth flight was mine.
r strapped
in
started, then taxied
to
the
runup area. All systems checked and it
was ready to roll. To compare accelera
tion differences between the stock
160
hp
Seimens-powered Jungmeister and this
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lightweight Lycoming
version, I decided to
come
on with the
power quickly. Just as
quickly, torque began
to lift the right wing
Right stick was added
along with some back
pressure and it virtu
ally leaped into the air
and
climbed out at a
deck angle that would
impress any
Pitts
driver. WOW
After the obligatory
clearing turns and
some stalls, it was
time
to
see
what this
goldenrod
baby
could do. Loops great. Snap rolls impec
cable. Four-point rolls super crisp. Slow
rolls, oh boy
What
perfect slow rolls .
Now, every pilot knows when they botch
something. Others may not recognize it,
but the pilot knows. In the Jungmeister,
it lets you know but it also makes it so
easy to do it right. The controls are so
light, so well
balanced and
so harmo-
nized. Words cannot accurately describe
it without a comparison. I suppose a real
U 72 rests on the
ground
at Santa Paula Airport northwest o Los Angeles CA
good concert violinist could playa de
cent tune on a one hundred dollar fiddle
and great music on a quality violin, but
an average violinist
on
a Stradivarius
could sound like Itzhak Perlman. So
it is
with the Jungmeister - even an average
pilot looks good.
I completed my
aerobatic sequence
with one final slow roll then left the aero
batic box and headed back towards Santa
Paula. A mechanical gremlin has bitten
the
airspeed indicator, so I had to fly
strictly by feel. I approached runway 22
into a strong and roily wind . The touch
down on the long oleo main landing gear
was
a
squeaker.
What a great feeling
Landing completed, I taxied back to the
ramp, rolling up to the waiting Bruce
Kemper, who saw my huge grin and sim
ply asked, "Well?"
To which I replied, "Bruce,
if
die and
go to Heaven,
I'm
going to ask God for a
Jungmeister like this one, because angel
wings couldn't possibly be any berter."
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE
19
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About Albert
Ruesch
and Bruce Kemper
When
Bruce arrived at Porrentruy,
about
50 miles north
of Bern, Switzer
land, it was a warm, late spring
Saturday in
1968.
The setting was
like
something out of a television
travel log
.
t
was a beautiful green valley set in
rolling hills between two distant moun
tain ranges with the upper spires
tipped
in
a virgin white snow. The airport was
a grassy meadow set
in
this emerald
valley. Alongside were
the
administra
tive buildings and an indoor/outdoor
restaurant with patrons
eating, drinking
and watching the airport activities. A
class of about twenty-five aerobatic stu
dents were undergoing a rigorous ground
school while
waiting
their
tum to fly. This
was
in
an
effort
to
earn
the Vol
de
Vwtu
osite, the state approved permit
to do
aerobatics. The instructor was the young
and overbearing ChiefPilot.
Albert Ruesch had promised Bruce his
first flight
in
one of his school's lung
meisters while
in
Porrentruy. Bruce
was
there
to
meet this legend in person and
to
see
if
the promise would be fulfilled.
They conversed in
some
small talk,
which
was difficult because Albert spoke very
little English and Bruce spoke even less
of
the
native French. Soon
it
was
time to
fly the lungmeister , so Albert turned
Bruce over
to the
English speaking Chief
Pilot for instruction. The superior acting
Chief Pilot treated Bruce as
if
he
were a
novice dummy student. With the entire
class
of
students looking on, he con
ducted a
very
long preflight and cockpit
check. Then came
his
flight instructions,
punctuated with lots of you will and
you must. t
was
implied that aerobat
ics were prohibited. The final instructions
were to stay within sight
of
the airfield
and
to
overfly
it
when finished, where
upon the Chief Pilot would indicate
by
hand signals whether it was okay for
Bruce to land.
Well
the Seimens engine was running
strong and the warmth
of
the beautiful
day, along with the intoxicating smell
of
the fresh grass rising into the air simply
overtook Bruce's better judgment,
so he
proceeded to put on a half-hour display of
the finest aerobatics
he
had ever flown.
Cuban eights, inverted spins, hammer
heads and every other maneuver in his
aerobatic repertoire.
He
capped this with a
grass rubbing blast
down
the
runway
with
a chandelle around the wind sock
to
the
downwind.
When
the Chief Pilot did not
show himself, Bruce did a steep
180
de
gree slip
to
the touchdown point marked
by red flags. Kicking it straight
at
the
last
moment,
he
completed a perfect touch
down and ultra short ground roll.
Taxiing back
to
the tie
down
area, the
gentle ticking
of
the Seimens radial
was
drowned out
by
the wild cheering
of
the
twenty-five aerobatic students
and the
ap
plause of the restaurant patrons.
After shutdown, the jubilant students
escorted Bruce into the airport Pub for a
mandatory celebration.
As
they
passed the
arrogant
Chief
Pilot, he refused
to
ac
knowledge
Bruce s
presence. Albert
Ruesch came
up
to Bruce, threw an arm
around his shoulder and said
in
the best
English he could muster, Aerobatics
okay. Thus started a friendshipand mu
tual admiration that lasted until Albert's
passing
in 1989.
In
a bit
of
irony, Ruesch's young son,
Markus, would make
his first lungmeis
ter flight in Bruce s U-88 during the
Bucker fly-in at
Santa
Paula ,
CA in 1993.
A
favor
returned. . . .
Porrenbuy, Switzerland , 1972. In this beautIfUl country obatIc school used both the
two-place
.Jungmann and serving area of the airport restaurant 8 well 8
setting
n
a
Swiss VIIIey, Bruce
Kemper was given
his sIngIe-pIace JqneIster
for
aerobatIc 1natruc:tIon On PlIatua Porter, often used
8
gilder tug or
ump plane
to . . . he JungmeIster. Albeit Rueacha
the
far right
you
can the tables for the outdoor
for
paracllutlata,
8 well 8 many
other
utility Olea.
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Handy Welding
Table
If you' re into restoration,
welding
table is
pretty
for fabricating small
medium sized parts. Dur
the EAA Air Academy,
welders work on a
dozen tables designed
built
by Bill Roerig,
e volunteer welding
Now there's
special about a weld
table, except that
it
must
your fire bricks, and
at a comfortable height
your to work upon.
I ' ll give you the dimen
for the
EAA
Air
Table you see here,
t I'd caution you to start by
supply of fire
start trim
- layout your
on the floor, pushed
each side ofthe cube
you've laid out,
trim your top angle
allow the
brick to
while laying
The
Air Academy students use the tables throughout the week while they leam the fine points
of
welding with a oxy
acetylene torch
The
sturdy nature
of
the tables means the welder does not have
to
worry about his work being compro-
sheet metal bottom
mised while he tries
to
juggle the torch and the piece
to be
welded
the working surface.
Also, one more caution: DON
'T
USE
BRICK AS
WORK SURF ACE
generated by a weld
explode as steam, sending particles
of
the ordinary brick flying
arms or face.
Having your fire bricks on hand will
on which
you
weld
your
table if you
choose
to
it out ofwood
As you can imagine, there is no re
it- also included in this arti
are a coup
le
of shots of irAcademy
Tom Seversen'
s
portable
complete
with
baby buggy
Indeed, the only component
buy was the fire brick. A
by
H.G.
FRAUTSCHY
check with the local material supply
yard here in Oshkosh says the
cost
of
each 9 x 4-112 x 2-112 fire brick is .90
each. With the scrap lumber you proba
bly already have, you could easily get
buy with a 20
dollar
bill, even if you
had to go to the local thrift store to buy
an old buggy for the wheels Probably
your only caution would be to avoid the
edges
of
your wooden table, since you
don't
want
to set your table on fire. It
wouldn't be
a
good
idea to
throw
a
bucket
of water on a burning
table
loaded with hot fire brick- the steam
explosion could be dangerous.
EAA's welding table is 35" tall, ex
cluding the bricks.
15
bricks are used,
with a couple more purchased to act as
fixtures to hold various pieces while
welding.For our particular bricks and
layout, the inside dimensions of the top
of
the table were 27-1 /
4 x
22-3/4". The
top and middle braces are made of
2-1/2" angle iron, and the legs are 1-5/8
O.D. pipe, with one end threaded to ac
cept a screw-on pipe cap. (They give the
table a finished look and besides, you
can use the caps to level the table on
concrete floors )
The
top of the
table
has a
piece
of
sheet steel inserted and welded in place
to contain the bricks. It's better to com
pletely support the bricks, rather than
use a few cross braces underneath
the bricks occasionally crack, and it
would be inconvenient for the brick to
fall on the floor or your toe while your
were welding.
The
call outs on the
photos should
help fill in the details so you can build
you
own to su it your purposes . Let's
melt some metal
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
2
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fire brick
Welding rod
holder
1-5/8 Pipe
Heavy
sheet
metal
bottom
Table is 35 t ll excluding fire
brick
1-5/8 Pipe
(Above) The standard EAA Air Academy welding table_
On
a welded tab on
the corner of the table is a length of square tubing used
to
hold spare weld
ing rod in a convenient location_
Extra fire brick to hold
parts to be welded
9 4-1/2 2-1/2
This one varies slightly from the one in the lead
photo, In that the welding rod holder Is made
up
of a pair of round tubing sections, the bottom one
with a small
round
plate welded
to
the bottom_
(Lower left and below) Here's Tom Seversen 's welding table, built
up
from
scrap lumber and made portable by adding buggy wheels and a extending the
sides on one end, which serve as handles_ A new set of fire bricks on the
tops gives Tom a great surface
to
do his welding work_
(Above) Adult Air Academy partic ipant Lanny
Guyton, Honolulu,
HI,
practices his technique
on
one of the welding tables built
up by
Bill Roerig_
You can see how the fire brick is laid out tightly
to one another,
and
extra bricks are used to hold
parts to be
welded_
22
JULY 1998
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OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING
by H G
Frautschy
M
any members will remem
ber
the beautiful
Caproni
CA 100 I-ABOU restored by Gero
lamo Gavazzi EAA 360771, A C
15849)
of
Milan, Italy. We published
a story of
the
airplane in the
July
1995 issue
of Vintage Airplane.
Well,
it
seems
he has
hard
at it
again, this time restoring a land
plane version
of the CA 100,
I-AMBT.
Built n 1933 as a float plane for training n the Italian Air
Force (above, left), t was sold
n
39 to a private individual,
and spent the war years
n
the same hangar as I-ABOU. Af
ter the war, t was sold to a company n Milan who used t to
tow banners, launching the banners
n
mid-air via a pair
of
bomb-bay type doors (left).
The airplane continued to be used for aerial advertising
with both banners and smoke writing until 1962, when it
was left to rot
n
a hangar
n
Milan. The photos showing the
airplane after t had been n prolonged storage (below) were
taken
n
1986.
After protracted negotiations, Gerolamo was able to buy
the airplane and
s
now in the process of making his dream
of seeing both I-ABOU and I-AMBT in the air together
come true. We look forward to seeing reports
of
his progress
on the airframe and the Columbo S63 motor.
VINTAGE
IRPL NE
3
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This is Floyd Schorsch (EAA
510948), Bismarck, ND,
who's
tickled
to be standing with hi s newly restored
Aeronca 7 AC .
t was
finished on
May I, 1998 after he had to overcome
a few challenges to hi s hea lth . Floyd
would like to thank Gary Gylten and
Gary Stagl for their help - he says it
couldn't have been done without them.
Powered with a Continental A -65 it
cruises at 85 mph.
24 ULY 998
Looking so pretty sitting in the water
off the shoreline filled with pine woods
is
Republic Seabee N87493,
SIN 44.
It's owned and flown by Odell (EAA
262957 AIC
26561) and Diane (EAA
513115) Matthis Havelock, NC. Diane,
proudly wearing her 99's tee shirt,
stands ready at the handy bow door
of
their amphibian.
One
of
492 Seabees
still on the reg ister, t is powered by a
Continental GO-480 of295
hp
.
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by
E.E. "Buck" ilbert
EM 21 N 5
P.O.
Box 424 Union
IL
60180
M
ore
years ago
than
I care
to
talk about,
Dorr
Car
penter handed
me a
little
brass plaque
that
reads One Mid
Air Collision Can Ruin Your Whole
Day." We laughed about that, and
I
tucked
it
away
in one of my
many drawers.
Then
one day in a
United DC-7
just
about right over downtown De
troit we had a very near miss
with
an F-84 at 25,000 ft. I had been idly
staring out the front windshield and
it happened so quickly all I had time
to do was crank the wheel hard over
as the
fighter went
under
the left
two engines. My Captain never even
saw the
other
airplane and I
got
a
very dirty look and a chewing out
for grabbing the controls away from
the
autopilot
and
doing
the
hard
over. He didn't believe me when I
told him what happened.
I've
had three near misses in my
airline
career. All
three
were
in
controlled airspace,
and would
you believe that two were with the
same Captain?
The second was with this guy go
ing into New York's JFK in a DC-8 .
Normal approach procedure was
off
Colt's neck VOR in those days, and
descent was out over the bay as the
vectors put us in the string of pearls
6 JULY
998
PaSSitto
Buel{
for
landing on the northwest run
ways or
maybe
the southwest,
whatever the pattern
of
the day.
We were
descending through
10,000 when
the
RAPCON
con
troller advised us
of
fast moving
traffic
coming
from our left side.
We were in the clouds in solid IFR
so I asked the
controller
to
keep
an eye on
it. He
asked if we
wanted to take evasive action. My
Captain (yep, the same one from the
DC-7 ) refused.
Bases of the clouds were reported
to be about 10,500 by previous traf
fic. The
controller was giving us a
second-by-second update as we be
gan to break out. I was looking past
the Captain out the left side window
and *&"'%$ there he went I went,
because I had a head on view of him
and his F-94 as he pushed down and
went
under us
and could make out
his head and snot catcher (02 mask)
ashe
threw back his head and came
out under my side window. Thank
goodness the DC-8 had such a long
nose, or he would have had us right
in the Nos. I and 2 engines
When I got my breath back I told
the controller
what
had
happened.
He
asked if we wanted to
file
a
near miss report and the captain
adamantly refused Again, the cap
tain
had not
even seen the
other
airplane
and
again I caught some
flack for overstepping my boundary
as a First Officer. I was advised that
he was the Captain, and
darn
it, he
would make the
decisions.
I shut
up, but I
vowed
this would never
happen to ME.
Shortly after that, maybe within a
year or so, I got promoted to Cap
tain. I began carrying the little brass
plaque with me and I would prop it
up
on the instrument
panel glare
shield to remind me,
and
my duly
briefed crew, that someone would
be looking out the window(s) at all
times. If
there
was any disturbing
influence on the flight deck, instead
of all three crew
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