vintage airplane - jun 1989

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by Espie "Butch" JoyceI would like to send out a specialthanks to Bill Eickhoff, President ofSun ' n Fun Fly-In and also to BillyHenderson, who is the ramrod for thisevent, for their hospitality during myvisit to Lakeland , Florida, representingthe Antique/Class ic Division I had theopportunity to meet a number of Antique/Classic members, shake theirhand and talk to them about differentissues. It was good to visit with RayOlcott and his wife , Jo. Ray was responsible for the Parade of Flight atSun 'n Fun and did an excellent job.Brad Thomas, past president of theAntique/Classic Division, was there . Ihad an opportunity to talk with AlKelch, past director of the Antique/Classic Division . AI expressed hi swillingness to help in any way he couldwith our division . I also saw ClaudeGrey, past director of the Antique/Classic Division and exchanged greetings. There were many familiar facesat Lakeland .I also met Sandy McKenzie, who ispresident of Antique/Classic ChapterOne . Sandy is a very energetic personand has worked hard for th e Sun ' nFun people , as Chapter One runs theA/C Headquarters for the fly-in. Allthe members of that chapter did an excellent job. I would personally like tothank Chapter One for its hospitalityand the opportunity to meet many ofits members .

STR IGHT ND LEVELHeadquarters had the opportunity to sitin on a forum at the FAA tent to askquestions of Samuel Skinner, Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Skinner isa private pilot and understands someof the problems that general aviationhas. Hopefully , this will be a benefitto sport aviation.I left Sun n Fun with a feeling ofaccomplishment and a sunburn. Theydid a great job.In this June issue of VINTAGEAIRPLANE, there is a ballot so youcan cast your vote for those peoplenominated for officers and directors .There is a biography of these candidates in VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Allhave served the Antique/Classic Division in the past with dedication andwish to continue to do so. Please eithercast your vote or send in your proxy.The results of this election will be announced at our annual business meeting on Thursday, the last day of theEAA Convention, Oshkosh '89.During my vi sit at Lakeland , wewere fortunate to be able to receive acommitment from a number of peopleto supply articles for VINTAGEAIRPLANE. George York, who issecretary of the Antique/Classic Division and the reigning authority on theBeech Staggerwing, has volunteered tosupply us with a number of articles onthe Staggerwing. Again, I appeal toyou as members, if you have an interesting project in your area that youor someone else is doing, or maybe aninteresting aviation person, pleaseshare this information with the rest ofthe membership. We are having somevery positive feedback for the VINT AGE AIRPLANE. We will be gladto review any type of article.

Convention is the Type Club Headquarters. I have heard from Julia Dickey and they have confirmed 13 typeclubs that will participate in the typeclub headquarters this year. There willbe a "Press Area" and an informationbooth. This is a service we provide forthose people who are interested in different type clubs . Just keep up the goodwork, Joe and Julia. Thanks .I received some communicationfrom Mr, Ken Hyde of Warrenton,Virginia . Ken is the gentleman puttingtogether the "Jennies to Oshkosh '89"and it appears now that we very possibly could have six to eight Jennies atOshkosh. This would be great Ken hasbeen working very hard on this project.f anyone can be of any help to him,please get in touch with Ken .By the time you receive this Juneissue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE, thelocal fly-in season will be well underway. I enjoy the local fly-in s as they 'reusually laid back, lying under thewings of airplanes, giving buddy rides- just a good atmosphere. This is a veryrelaxing week-end to me. Our localfly-in was held in May this year in Burlington, North Carolina. We alwayshave a good turnout for this event. Unfortunately, I had to miss this year asI was needed in Oshkosh the sameweekend for the Antique/Classic andEAA Board Meetings. This was a tugof-war for me because it's the firstlocal fly-in that I have missed in 15

years. I am sure the local guys understand.I hope to meet each and every oneof you who are members of the Antique/Classic Division sometime during the EAA Oshkosh 89 Convention.I will be around the Antique/Classic


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V I , . . . . T A 7 ~ A I I V L A ~ ~JUNE 1989 Vol. 17, No.6

PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONSDick MoM

EDITORMark Phelps

ART DIRECTORMike DrucksADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman Petersen

Dick CovinFEATlJRE WRITERS

George A Hardie, Jr.Dennis ParksEDITORIAl. ASSISTANT

Isabelle WiskeSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSJim KoepnlckCarl Schuppel

Jeff lsomEM ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERS

President Vice PresidentEsple ' Sutch' Joyce Arthur R MorganBox 468 3744 North 51st Blvd.Madison, NC 27025 Milwaukee, WI 53216919/427-0216 414 /442-3631

Secretory TreasurerGeorge SYork E.E. ' Suck' Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424Mansfield,OH 44906 Union, IL 60180419 /529-4378 815/923-4591DIRECTORS

Robert C ' Sob' Srauer John SCopeland9345 S. Hoyne 9 Joanne DriveChicago, IL 60620 Westborough, MA 015B1312/779-2105 508/366-7245

Ph ilip Coulson William A Eickhoff28415 Springbroak Dr. 41515th Ave ., N.E.Lawton,M149065 S. Petersburg, FL 33704616/624-6490 813 /823-2339Charles Harris Stan Gomoll3933 Sou1h Pearia 104290th Lane, NEP.O.Box 904038 Minneapolis, MN 55434Tulsa,OK74105 6121784 11729181742 7311 Robert D. Bob ' Lumley

Dole A Gustafson N104W203877724 Shady Hill Drive Willow Creek Rd.Indianapolis, IN 46278 Colgate,WI 53107317/293-4430 414/255-6832Gene Morris Steven C Nesse115C Steve Court, R R 2 2009 Highland Ave.Roanoke,1)( 76262 Albert Lea, MN 56007817/491-9110 507/373-1674

Copyright ' 1989 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents2 Straight and Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce4 Guest Editorialfby Paul H. Poberezny6 Calendar7 Notice of Annual Business Meeting

10 Vintage Literaturefby Dennis Parks Page 1212 Vintage Seaplanesfby Norm Petersen14 Members Projectsfby Norm Petersen15 Chapter Chroniclesfby Bob Brauer16 A Cub In A Cratefby Frank Bass19 Planes and People/Publicity Commit tee20 C-2 Restoration: A Journal- Conclusion! Page 16

by George Quast26 Pass I t To Buckfby E.E. "Buck" Hilbert30 Welcome New Members31 Vintage Trader34 Mystery Planefby George Hard ie, Jf.

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FRONT COVER Soaking it in at EAA Sun 'n Fun '89. The airplane isMorley Servos' Beech Staggerwing all the way from Ontario, Canada.It won the award for Best Biplane. (Photo by Ma rk Phelps)REAR COVER .. . N Headquarters at EAA Sun 'n Fun as seen fromthe cavernous front cockpit of Johnny Thomson's 1929 New Standardon short final. Headquarters was manned (and womanned) by An tique/Classic Chapter One. Sandy McKenzie. President .(Photo bv Mark Phelps)


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G STEDITORIAl.'byPaul Poberezny

t has been quite some time since Iwrote a line or two for our VINT GEIRPL NE Magazine. All too often Iam so busy with day-to-day correspondence dealing with the many andvaried problems that face the organization, making trips to Washington,

D.C. and sometimes having theprivilege of flying the P-51 Mustang.Unfortunately, some of our Antiqueand Classic friends feel I have no lovefor this phase of flying. Truly my interest is a lot greater in antiqueairplanes than one would realize. Atage 16 I taught myself to fly in a battered glider that I repaired. It was givento me by my high school teacher. I canwell remember when the CurtissHawks used to fly over our neighborhood in the country southwest of Milwaukee. When I saw those two wingsflying by I thought they must be flownby little men because the airplanes

tion, seeing the shadowy outline of thewings. I don t recall whether it was aWaco 10 , an American Eagle or aSwallow. I circled the airplane withcaution and I must admit with a bit offear. I went home and got a blanket ,went back to the airplane and sleptunder the fuselage between the landinggear. I was so excited I didn t sleepmuch that night. I kept looking at themassive wings thinking that I , toowould fly one of these wonderfulmachines one day. I rushed home afterschool the next day to see the airplaneagain but , the pilots were gone. It lefta great impression on me.

During high school I also joined aflying club, flying a Porterfield 3570.I soloed it, which was quite a featsitting in the back seat unable to seeover the nose or around the speed ringthat contained a 70-hp, five-cylinderLaBiond . Unfortunately, our flying

opportunity to fly Dale Crites s 1 5 ,225-hp, straight-wing Waco. At thetime, that was flying the best of themall.During World War II , I instructed inStearmans, PT-19s and -23s - over2,000 hours sitting in an open cockpit,loving every minute of it. Later, I gotto fly almost all the propeller-drivenairplanes, two-engine, four-engine,etc . But my love has always been theolder airplanes. I well remember whenI was an eighth-grader, I walked milesto the Milwaukee County Airport, nowknown as General Mitchell Field, andwas offered a ride if I would Simonizea Curtiss Robin . I took many IO-milewalks down the gravel road of LaytonAvenue to complete the job, only to bedisappointed when the owner and pilotsaid he didn t have time to give me aride - certainly one of the greatestdisappointments in my life . However,


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ICALENDAR O EVENTSIThe Antique/Classic Valley Queen

II Riverboat Dinner Cruise will boardfrom the Pioneer Inn Marina at 7:00p.m. on Monday, July 31. Tickets forthe two and a half hour sunset cruisecan be purchased by sending a self addressed stamped envelope y uly 7 toJeannie Hill, Box 328, Harvard, Illinois 60033. Cost is $18.50 per ticket.Make checks payable to the Antique/Classic Division of EAA.June 2-3 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma.Biplane Expo 89, National BiplaneConvention and Exposition . FrankPhillips Field. Sponsored by NationalBiplane Association . Contact CharlesW. Harris, 9181742-7311 or MaryJones, 9181299 2532 .June 2-4 - Merced, California. 37thMerced West Coast Antique Fly-In,Merced Municipal Airport. ContactMerced Pilots Association , PO Box2313, Merced, California 95344. TelLinton Wellen after 4:30 pm, PDT,209/722-6666.June 3-4 - Coldwater, Michigan.Fifth Annual Fairchild Reunion . Contact Mike Kelly, 22 Cardinal Drive,Coldwater, Michigan 49036. Tel 517/278-7654.June 9-10 - Denton, Texas. Twentyseventh Texas Chapter AAA Fly-In,Denton Municipal Airport. ContactDon or Shirley Swindle 214/429-6343or Bob Landrum 817/430-3387 or JohnPrice 817/481-9005.

Southeast Aeronca Fly-in at CamdenAirport, sponsored by EAA Chapter242. Contact Earl Yerrick at 80317812741.June 22-25 - Mount Vernon , Ohio.30th Annual Waco Reunion . WynkoopAirport. Make your reservations at theCurtis Motor Hotel , just one mile fromthe airport, 1-800-828-7847 , or (inOhio) 1-800-634-6835 . There will beno Waco fly-in at Hamilton this year.For more information, contact National Waco Club, 700 Hill Avenue,Hamilton, Ohio 45015 .June 23-25 - Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Greater OKC Chapter of AAAFly-In. Great facility for Fly-In andcamping . Close to motels. ContactHarry Hanna at 405/946-4026, or BudSutton at 405/392-5608 .June 24-25 - Orange Massachusetts.EAA Chapter 726 New England Fly-Inand antique engine show. Two runways, 5,000- by I 50-feet, trophies,flea market and food. Warbirds welcome. Contact Joe Smolen, 413/4982266.June 24-25 - Ridgeway , Virginia.Second annual Fly-In and Pig-pickingat Pace Field (36'35"N, 79 '52"W).Call 703/956-2159.July 12-16 - Arlington, Washington .Northwest EAA Fly-in and Sport Aviation Convention, Arlington Airport .Contact Northwest EAA Fly-In, 4700188th Street NE, Arlington, Washing- .ton 98223 . Tel. 206/435-5857.

Fly-In. Delaware Airport. ContactWalt McClory , 614/881-4267 or AlanHarding, 614/885-6502 .July 28-August 3 - Oshkosh, Wi sconsin . 37th Annual EAA Fly-In andSport Aviation Convention at WittmanRegional Airport. Call 414/426-4800 .August 19-20 - Reading , Pennsylvania. Reading AeroFest at ReadingMunicipal Airport. Fly-In Breakfastsponsored by Pottstown Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.August 25-27 - Sussex, New Jersey.Seventeenth Annual Sussex Air Show."Biggest Little Air Show in theWorld." Sussex Airport. Ca1l201 8757337 or 875-9919 .August 31-September 1 - Coffeyville , Kansas. Funk Aircraft Owners Association Reunion . Contact RayPahls , President. Tel. 316/943-6920.September 1-5 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma. National Antique AirplaneAssociation Fly-In at Frank PhillipsField. Contact Robert L. Taylor at 515/938-2773 .September 6-10 - Galesburg, Illinois. 18th Annual Stearman Fly-In.Contact Tom Lowe at 815/459-6873 .September 9-10 - Shirley, Long Is-land, New York. 26th Annual AntiqueAirplane Club of Greater New YorkFly-In. Brookhaven Airport . Raindate, September 16-17. Contact JohnSchlie at 516/957-9145 .


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NOTICE OFANNUALBUSINESS MEETING

Notice is hereby given that anannual business meeting of themembers of the EAA Antique/Classic Division will be held onThursday, August 3 1989 at10:00 a.m. (Central DaylightTime) at the 37th Annual Convention of the Experimental AircraftAssociation, Inc., Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.Notice is hereby further giventhat the annual election of officersand directors of the M Antique/Classic Division will be conductedby ballot distributed to the members along with this June issue ofVINTAGE AIRPLANE Said ballotmust be returned properlymarked to the Ballot Tally Committee, M Antique/Classic Division, M Aviation Center, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, and received no later than July 30,1989.The Nominating Committeesubmits the following list of candidates.Arthur R. Morgan,Vice-PresidentE.E. Buck Hilbert,

ARTHUR R. MORGANMilwaukee, Wisconsinrt Morgan began flying in 96and received hi s private license in1962 . In 1965 he went on to get hiscommercial rating.

He has been a member o EAA since1962 and began by parking airplanesat the EAA Conventions in Rockford,Illinois.

rt was one o the first to start building a KR-l and although he did notcomplete his project , he was instrumental in the completion o two o the

E. E. BUCK HILBERTUnion, IllinoisBuck is a native a Chicago and agraduate o Lewis College. He began

learning the pilot 's point o viewwhile working as a line boy at the oldElmhurst Airport near Chicago in1938. The pay wasn't much, but it wasflying time and he soloed an Aeronca65LA Chief in October, 1941.He enlisted in the Air Force shortly


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Funny Fann where he has an airstripand keeps a stable of interesting andflyable old airplanes. Buck is a retired United Airlines captain.Buck is no stranger to the Antique/Classic Division. He is past president,having served from 97 through1975 . He currently is Treasurer of theDivision and is also a member of theEAA Aviation Foundation Board ofTrustees.

JOHN S. JACK COPELANDWestborough, MassachusettsJack received a degree in mechanical engineering from Illinois Institute

of Technology in 1954. He served asan Aircraft Maintenance Officer on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from1955-58, attaining the rank of captainin the USAF reserve.Jack holds a commercial pilotlicense with a flight instructor rating.He joined EAA in 97 and the Antique/Classic Division in 1975 shortlyafter purchasing his first aircraft, a1948 Cessna 140. At that time Jacklived in the Chicago area and participated in pre-Convention weekendwork parties.

P ILIP COULSONLawton, MichiganPhil was born on a fann in southwestern Michigan . His first ride in anairplane was at the age of 6 in a Fairchild PT-23, owned and flown byHorace Sackett, a local pilot and A&P.

Twenty-years later Horace would bePhil's guiding light in restoring his1930 Waco INF.Phil learned to fly off a grass stripin Lawton, Michigan in 1962. Hisoriginal dual instruction and solo flying was in a Piper J-5. Throughout theyears he has owned several aircraft, including a J-3 Cub, Taylorcraft, TriPacer and Cessna 190. He and hiswife, Ruthie, are lovers of Wacos andgreatly enjoy flying their Kinner-powered 1930 INF. They also own a ModelG Bonanza.Phil's military career consisted offour years in the U. S. Air Force duringthe Korean War.Phil is a lifetime EAA member andbegan attending EAA Conventions inRockford, Illinois. He is a chartermember of Antique/Classic Chapter 8and also a past president. Phil has beenchainnan of the annual Parade of Flightat Oshkosh for the past nine years . Hewas appointed advisor to the Antique/

STAN GOMOLLBlaine, MinnesotaStan soloed a J-3 Cub on his 6thbirthday on 11-30-42 . In 1945 heserved in the U.S . Air Force as aground crewman on B-29s based atGuam. Stan received his A&E license

in 1949 at Spartan School of Aeronautics, then returned home to Minneapolis where he worked at a smallairport.In 95 he was hired by NorthwestAirlines as a mechanic, progressing toFlight Engineer, Co-pilot and he currently flies as Second Officer on Boeing 747s .Stan's first airplane was a 1939 40hp Taylorcraft. Currently he owns andflies a 1936 Waco Cabin and a 1946J-3 Cub . Over the years he has restoredmany airplanes.Stan has been active in EAA working on various committees at the Annual Convention. In 1976 he wasmuned Advisor and elected to theBoard of Directors in 1984. He is currently President of Antique/ClassicChapter 4 in the Minneapolis area.


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NOTICE OFANNUAL MEMBERSHIPBUSINESS MEETING INFORMATION

DALE A. GUSTAFSONIndianapolis, IndianaDale has been interested in airplanessince he was a small child and took hi sfirst plane ride in 1939 at the age of

10 He started taking flying lessons in1945 and soloed at 16 . After highschool, he worked at the airport inSouth Bend , Indiana servicing airliners, handling cargo and doing fieldmaintenance.Dale attended Spartan School ofAeronautics in 1948 and 1949 to obtainadditional pilot ratings. After this hefreelanced as a flight instructor and rana small FBO at South Bend until hewas hired as a co-pilot on Turner Airlines in Indianapolis in 1950. Throughname changes and mergers, the airlineis now USAir. He had been with theairline for more than 35 years when heretired. Hi s plans now are to spend histime between Indiana and Florida,where he has property adjoining a private airstrip.

rently is serving as a Director. For several years, Dale has judged antiques atOshkosh and served as Program Chairman for the Antique/Classic Divisionawards.

DANIEL F. NEUMANMinneapolis, MinnesotaDan soloed a Fairchild KR-31 in1935 and obtained his A&P licensewhile still in high school in Detroit ,

Michigan. His first job was in final assembly at Stinson Aircraft Corporationin 1938. Later he was employed byWarner Aircraft Corp. in the enginetesting department.Prior to WW II he was chief pilotfor an F.B.O . at Detroit City Airportflying Stinson Model "U" Trimotors,Sikorsky S-38 amphibians, Wacos,Stinson, etc . Dan was also a flight instructor in the C. P. T. program.In 1942 he was hired by NorthwestOrient Airlines and flew as captainfrom 1943 until retirement in 1978.He has been actively interested invintage aircraft since 1947 owning and

EAAMembership in the ExperimentalAircraft Association, Inc. is $30.00for one year, including 12 issues ofSport A viation. Junior Membership(under 19 years of age) is availableat $18.00 annually. Family Membership is available for an additional$10.00 annually.

ANTIQUE/CLASSICSEAA Member - $18.00. Includesone year membership in EAA An tique-Classic Division, 12 monthlyissues of The Vintage Airplane andmembership card. Applicant mustbe a current EAA member and mustgive EAA membership number.Non-EAA Member - 28.00 . In-cludes one year membership in theEAA Antique-Classic Division, 12monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane, one year membership in theEAA and separate membershipcards. SportAviat ion not included.

lACMembership in the InternationalAerobatic Club, Inc. is $25.00 annually which includes 12 issues ofSport Aerobatics. All lAC membersare required to be members of EAA.

WARBIRDSMembership in the Warbirds ofAmerica, Inc. is $25.00 per year,which includes a subscription toWarbirds. Warbird members rerequired to be members of EAA.EAA EXPERIMENTEREAA membership and EAA EXPERI

MENTER magazine is available for$28.00 per year (Sport Aviation notincluded). Current EAA membersmay receive EAA EXPERIMENTERfor $18.00 per year.

FOREIGN


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V I ~ T A ~ L I T ~ 2 A r u 2 ~AVIA TION HEADLINES OF THE1920s and 1930sWe are a ll aware of the impactLindbergh 's New York- to-Paris fli ghthad on the public, but what other aviation events of the 1920s and 1930swere deemed of enough importance togamer head lines in the newspapers?Scanning th rough the newspaper headlines in the EAA Aviation Librarygives some cl ue as to the type of frontpage coverage that aviation rece ivedthen.

February 22 , 1922GIANT ARMY DIRIGIBLEWRECKEDNorfolk, Va. - Victims perish whenROMA bursts into flames after fall;collapse of rudder causes tragedy onshort trial flight.At Hampton Roads, Virginia, inwhat was the greatest di saster to befallArmy aeronautics, the Italian builtsemi rigid airship ROMA s structurebroke up during high speed fli ght andwent out of control.Apparently the substitution of twoLiberty motors fo r two of the six

lighter Ansoldo engines subjected theairship to stresses fo r which it was notdesigned and this resulted in tragedy.This incident gave Italian airshipbuilding a bad reputation from whichit did not recover until the Italian-builtR- l NORGE flew to the North Pole in1926.

May 10, 1926BYRD FLIES TO NORTH POLEKings Bay, SpitzbergenAmerica's claim to the North Polewas cinched tonight when, after a

b . )ennis VarksByrd s reaching the North Pole. Forone thing, the Fokk er would have hadto average over 93 mph to make thetrip in the time it was gone ..

May 12, 1926NORGE FLIES OVERNORTH POLEReports her feat to TIMES by wireless; Going on over the Arctic wastesto Alaska. First message ever received from the North Pole.

Norwegian explorer Roa ldAmundsen led the expedition whichmade the first airship fli ght over theNorth Pole . The Italian-built airshipflew from Spitzbergen Island over thePole and continued on to Alaska . Othercrewmembers included the American,Linco ln Ellsworth and the airship s designer, Umberto Nobile .

May 21 , 1927LINDBERGH STRIKES OUTACROSS OCEANNew York - Flying to meet tomorrow 's rising sun Capt. Charles A.Lindbergh left all land behind himtonight when he passed over New-foundland and struck out for Ireland, 1,900 miles across the open seaon his attempted nonstop flight toParis. Ships in the North Atlantichave been requested to radio shorestation if the flier is sighted.

May 22 , 1927LINDBERGH DOES IT!Paris - Lindbergh did it. Twentyminutes after 10 o'clock tonight suddenly and softly there slipped out ofthe darkness a gray-white airplane

worker, alighted in the seaplaneFriendship here this morning on thebroad expanse of Loughor Estuary,after a flight of 20 hours and 40 minutes.Amelia Earhart was a passenger ina Fokker trimotor piloted by Wi lmerStultz and Louis Gordon. They arrivedwith enough fuel to continue on toSouthampton, but fog forced a stopover.

November 30, 1929BYRD SAFELY FLIES TOSOUTH POLELittle America, Antarctica - Conqueror of two poles by air, Commander Richard E. Byrd flew into campat 10:10 this morning, having beengone eighteen hours and fifty-nineminutes.

Fl ying a Ford Trimotor named Floyennett after Byrd s pilot on the NorthPole flight , the fl ight over the SouthPole was the culmination of an expedition that had begun the previous Au

gust and involved a crew of more than40 people .August 16 , 1935CRASH KILLS ROGERS, POSTPoint Barrow, Alaska - Deathended the arctic aerial trip of WillRogers, famous comedian, and WilyPost, round the world flyer , whentheir plane crashed 15 miles south ofhere at 8:18 pm Thursday.

Will Rogers hired Post to fly him toAlaska in search of material fo r hi snewspaper column. The pontoons thatwere ordered fo r their Lockheed Orion


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The accident happened just as thedirigible was about to dock four hoursafter flying over New York City on thelast leg of its first transatlantic voyageof the year. Previously the Hindenberghad made 10 round trips across the Atlantic in 1936.

July 14, 1938AROUND THE WORLD INFOUR DAYSNew York - Howard Hughes, millionaire sportsman who flies ''for thefun of it" and his four companionsat noon Thursday were nearingFloyd Bennett airport here with anew record for girdling the globe.They virtually clipped three days off

the record set in 1933 by the lateWily Post, who flew around theworld in seven days.Using a Lockheed Model 14,Hughes and his crew made an aroundthe world flight in a record 91 hoursand 14 minutes . With the sophisticatedradio equipment on the plane the crewwas able to be in contact with theground station in New York for most

of the trip.

August 5, 1938CORRIGAN CHEERED BY AMILLIONNew York - Douglas Corrigan, that

daring youg man of the flyingmachine, rode up Broadway Friday,cool and brash and grinning infectiously as thousands upon thousandscheered him for flying across the At-lantic by "mistake."

Douglas Corrigan, flying an aged1929 Curtiss Robin, took off from NewYork on July 19, 1938 supposedly tofly to his home in California. He arrived 28 hours and 13 minutes later inDublin, Ireland. His flight was thesixth successful west-to-east solocrossing of the Atlantic - accidentalor not.


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VINTAGE SEAPLANESby orm Petersen

From the Norman Collection of photos in the EAA Archives, we present a photo taken in the early 1930s in Italy where this Breda 25bipl ne trainer was used on wheels nd floats. It is estimated that over 10,000 pilots were tra ined in this model. On floats, the Breda 25was refered to as the "Idro" nd used the 240hp Walter "Castor" engine built in Czechoslovakia. With a gross weight of 2486 Ibs. onfloats, the "25" would cruise t 93mph with a top speed of 118mph. Ailerons were loc ted on the lower wings nd conventionalconstruction of steel tube fuselage nd wood wings was employed.The seven-compartment floats were of aluminum nd featured dualwater rudders. Note civilian registration I-ABFG on side of fuselage. Most Breda 25 aircraft were two-seat (tandem) tra iners, however,this floatpl ne model is the single seat edition. The tandem trainers featured du l controls, however, the studenfs controls could bedisconnected from the instructor's controls while in flight


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A Loenlng "Duck" thunders across the water on takeoff from Cleveland In this photo from the old American Airman files in the MArchives. Tex Marshall says, The Terminal Tower of Cleveland Is In the background. These planes carried six passengers and a crew oftwo. Cruising about 100m ph, the Loenlngs were equipped with two-way radio. The engines were 575hp Wright Cyclones. I was presidentof Trans-American Airlines that operated these planes In 1929 and 1930 between Cleveland and Detroit. We had six of them. I had about75 hours as pilot In the Loenings, ferrying new planes and using them for business."


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MEMBERS PROJ TS ...by Norm Petersen

A one year and three months restoration project produced the very nice looking Stinson 108-2,N9835K, SIN 108-2835, shown here. JamesEvans EAA 298808) of Lander, Wyoming restored the Stinson with help from Gene Ferry EAA 63787) who is also rebuilding a Super ub.James reports the Stinson flies very well and he is quite happy with the end result. This project was also featured in VINT GE IRPl NEin February, 1988 and August, 1988. Congratulations, Jamesl


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WOULD YOU SENDA CUB UP IN ACRATE LIKE THIS?

y Frank Bass(EAA 1328 7, N C )

I got home one evening last summerand had a message on my answeringmachine from an Engli shman by thename of Ike Stow. He was visiting thiscountry and someone at a truck stop nBozeman, Montana , had told him if hewas interested n old airplanes, heneeded to get in touch with me . Hesaid he wanted to look at some vintage,American-type aircraft and he wouldcall me the next day. Sure enough,early Saturday morning he calledagain. He was at Big Timber, Montanaand would be at my place n a coupleof hours .

He and his lovely wife arrived andI gave them a tour of my place , theBeacon Star. I showed them all myplanes and then took them into town tosee my J 5 Cub which I had recentlydecided to sell . I thought my newfound friend only wanted to look at oldairplanes I was surprised to realize he


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was interested in buying And guesswhat? His little wife was as surprisedas I was, but it seemed OK to her. Itwas pleasant to see such agreement andtrust between them; it wasn't even spoken. I just felt it in her acceptance ofwhatever he wanted to do. I really en"joyed being with these nice people whotalked so differently and lived so faraway .He looked the Cub over and whilewe were in town we attended an oldpar show. Later that evening I cookedthem a Montana steak and put them upfor the night. They got up the nextmorning and went into Moore forchurch, which was probably a nice experience for people from England. Ifixed them a big breakfast, Montanastyle: flapjacks, bacon & eggs and theywent down the road about noon. Ismiled as I watched them drive away.I d made some good friends and decided that maybe I d stop in Englandsome day and visit Ike Stow, never really dreaming that I d ever hear fromhim again.A few weeks went by and I camehome from town one day and on myanswering machine was a big long talefrom Ike He was calling from Englandand had checked into what it was goingto cost him to transport the Cub. So Ithought, well , he would be gettingback to me. About a week later it ' s Ikeagain; he reached me this time . I wasin the shop and we "visited", using histerminology. He likes to haggle aboutprice. Well , Danny Simpson and I haddecided that we could build the transport crate for $500. We were going tomake a little profit, maybe, if Ikewanted it done. Well , that was adream Ike got the paperwork takencare of and sent me a draft. I mightadd that doing business with Ike wasindeed a pleasure. There was not athing, you understand, signed betweenIke and me. Not one solitary document. He wired the money in full to


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airplane a part of it. Sounded good tome, so away we went. He ordered aload of lumber and I went to town andbought about $190 worth of dimensionlumber and another $225 worth ofrough out 2 inch plywood. You cansee my $500 was almost gone alreadyWe enlisted the help of another friendof ours , Ed Mussleman, because hehad told us how he had seen airplanesshipped to Hawaii when he was withthe airlines in California. So I said toDanny, "We'll get Ed to come overand tell us how to build this crate." SoEd flew over in his Scout, landed andcame up to the hangar. I said, "WellEd, how is this going to work?' Edsaid he didn't know , so we proceededto follow Danny's design and Edturned out to be a good helper, but hehad never seen a crate being builteither Ed had flown the airplanes tothe airport and other fellows disassembled them and put them in a crate andthen helped put them together again inHawaii , but he never did see the crateSo that was our overseas crate builderWe made a deck out of two-inchlumber with a rail down the center.Then we took all the landing gear,wings, prop and tail feathers off theairplane. We made brackets to fastenthe main landing gear mounts (to thecrate) and built a step to fasten the tailto. Now the fuselage was part of thedeck of the crate. We then built thedouble 2 X 4 framework over the top,put cross pieces in it and stood thewings inside. The wings were fastenedby the strut mountings to the sides andthe spar mountings to the back end ofthe crate, so now the wings were partof the crate . Finally, the prop was fastened down to the deck and the landinggear was all lagged down. All loosefairings, cans of screws and whatnotswere wrapped in paper, taped downand fastened inside the fuselage . Therewas not one loose piece of airplane.They could have rolled the crate upside

Danny I finished on Saturday . Edspent about three days with us. We putinstructions on the outside concerningthe wing bolts , what panels shouldcome off to unfasten the wings, etc.We also put instructions for Customs

old NC35183 was on her way to England and I expect to be hearing fromIke any day , telling me that his airplanehas arrived . I m told the trip shouldtake about six weeks .This has been a very interesting ex


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Planes & PeopleBILLY P NC KEby Sharron Mitchell

By volunteers 0 the Antique/Classicress CommitteeLarry O Attilio and Pamela Foard,Co-Chairmen

T h e real story about Aeronca 1390Eis what goes on under the wing atOshkosh. Billy and Saundra Pancakehave opened their doors , cowling,panel and hearts to visitors to the EAAConvention. They were joined bySaundra's parents, Irene and RichardMcDowell and their daughter, Stacey.The circle of lawn chairs is open tonew and old friends who want to stopin to say hello or discuss airplanes.In a soft southern drawl, Billy reveals that he spent much of his youthat the airport doing whatever it took toget an airplane ride. He was intomechanical things and in seventh gradeBilly managed to get into trouble atschool by building "shock" boxes thatzapped the teacher and principal. Afterthat little incident he was high on thelist of suspects when anything mechanical was involved in mischief. He builtrockets making his own black powderfrom grocery items . Fortunately, hesoon discovered aviation which captured his interest and his energy.

Aeronca) supplied old books and pictures . The entire plane was disassembled , stripped, primed and painted.Pancake covered the plane with Irishlinen and butyrate dope. He completedthe restoration in nine months . He hadbuilt his own woodworking , metal ,upholstery and electronics shops whichenabled him to work very efficiently.Although he has since been involvedin a number of restorations back tooriginal condition, he had decided tocustomize 1390E right from the beginning. In 1975, he designed a brandnew IFR panel. He has completelyredone the panel four times and youreally have to see it to believe it. It'sa work of art! Aeronca 1390E may bejust another beautifully restored 7 ACat first glance, but a closer look willconvince you that Billy Pancake'sChamp is really something special.Pancake customized his Champ by:removing the nose tank, replacing itwith two wing tanks (26 gallons) . Heneeded the space for the new IFR panelhe had designed. Recently someoneclaimed his plane wasn ' t a Champ because it didn 't have the nose tank .Even after Pancake explained what he

tional gyro, tum coordinator) a 720channel Edo Aire RT536 navcom, aNarco ADF 141 , a Narco AT 150transponder, a Narco Encoder, AR850, a Narco Nav 122 with markersand glideslope receiver, a Terra 720channel transceiver, a Narco DME195 , a Silver fuel flow meter, a Davtron 855 for air temperature , densityaltitude, pressure altitude and voltageand a Davtron 811 digital clock andtimer.putting in an alternator (but no starter) to power the panel.rewiring the entire panel. Pancake s

skill as an electronic technician andmaster builder of Heath kits is evident.He removed part of the panel to exposethe workmanship.He has a one-time STC for all thesechanges - imagine all that paperwork!Billy is no stranger to restoringairplanes. He was instrumental in therestoration of Jim Thomson's AeroncaSedan (EAA Champion, 1980), HaroldArmstrong's Waco 10 (EAA ReserveGrand Champion, 1981), David Law sAeronca IICC (EAA Best of Type,1983). He uses the pictures and blue


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C-2 RESTORATION:A/OURNAL

Conclusionby George Quast EAA 123836, le 8885)

January 3,1985I received a letter from Dick Baxterof Spencer Aircraft Industries, Inc . inSeattle, Washington. Dick had gottenmy name from the Aeronca factory andsaid that he was in the process of restoring C-2, sin A-71 and that it shouldbe flying in the spring. He was juststarting to cover his plane and wouldlike to see some pictures of my C-2during the restoration and after thecompletion.

January 5, 1985I sent a letter to Dick Baxter on December 31, 1984 and he sent his firstletter to me January 2, 1985. He received my letter the day he mailed his,so he sent a follow-up letter that I received today . In his two-page letter,Dick told me the history of his C-2 andthat he flew it in 1938 when he was 4years old. He purchased half of thewingless C-2 a few years ago andstarted his reconstruction project. Heis a good friend of Bob Cansdale who

owns a C-2. Dick built up a C-3 in1954 and flew it for 350 hours beforeselling it to Bob Cansdale.I wanted to collect information onall remaining C-2s and Dick Baxter'sletter was the first I received after writing to all registered C-2 owners . Fromhis letter, he sounds very interestingand keeps himself busy .

January 10, 1985I received a letter from the AntiqueAirplane Association in Ottumwa,Iowa today . I had asked for information on its C-2 and also if anyone therehad an address of the former owner ofmy C-2, Vince Burke . AAA s letterincluded Vince's current address inAnaheim, California and told me thatthe Airpower Museum in Ottumwadoes have C-2, N 10168, sin 301-44and that the fuselage had just comeback from San Antonio where it hadbeen rebuilt from a few original pieces .New wings had to be built now. I hadlocated the former owner of this

airplane, Perry Roberts of Billings,Montana back on October 18, 1983.AAA also enclosed a copy of THE AN-T1QUER dated March 1966. Thiswhole issue was dedicated to theAeronca Club which was going tohave its 1967 fly-in that September.An article from the October 1929 issueof ERO DIGEST was reprinted givingexcellent information on the early C-2.A photo of Bob Cansdale and hisaward-winning C-2 was printed alongwith a story by Erwin Eshelman. InSeptember 1930, Erwin met DixieDavis from Cincinnati , who was on anationwide tour to advertise the C-2.This was Erwin's first look at a C-2.In the summer of 1931, he got his firstride in a C-3 . The airplane cost around1,295 Depression dollars. In 1937,Erwin bought his first C-2, sin 15, builtin September 1930. He kept the C-2out at the old East Dayton Airfield andalways felt quite honored by having theC-3 owned by Jean Roche right next tohis in the hangar. In 1939, Erwin soldthe C-2 and in the spring of 1964 hepurchased a C-3.

January 16, 1985I received a letter from Dale Wolford and he wrote a short profile of theflying experiences of George York,Jim Gorman and himself, all owners

of Aeronca C-2, s n A-66. Dale thentold about the C-2 restoration projectand sent a photocopy of an Aeronca


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C-3 Collegians and another C-2,planes and parts coming from Houston, Texas, Arizona, New York andBlakesburg, Iowa.Dick Baxter wrote a letter and returned a photo of the engine andexhaust pipe that I had sent him.Dick's father had started in the aircraftbusiness in 1922 and Dick himself hadbeen at it for 54 years. He describedflying the C-2 as more fun than anything else he had flown . Dick said,"You do have to fly it, rather thanherding an engine through the sky likemost modern airplanes, but it is easyto fly, very forgiving, makes a lot ofnoise and you don't go no place in ahurry " He sent along a photo of thefront of his C-2 showing the pilot seat,gas tank and dash .After suppper that evening, I calledinformation and was given a phonenumber of the former owner of my C2, Stanley Gerlach from Palmyra, Wisconsin. I called and his wife, Helenanswered. I was saddened and disappointed to have her tell me that Stanleyhad died on November 29, 1984 at theage of 71. He had flown for 52 yearsand had owned NC 10303 before he

got married . Helen was still quite upsetabout losing the companionship ofStanley but told me he was very activeand flew airplanes till the day he died .She told me that he attended all theEAA Conventions and was at the lastone. This made me think. I had attended many of the activities held solely for the Antique/Classic Divisionmembers at the EAA 1984 Convention. Stanley was there too. He couldhave walked right by me without myknowing who he was. I had lost a firsthand source of information about theC-2 s early history because I hadn'ttaken the time to act sooner. This wasa good lesson for me.Editor s note I n 1966, Stan Gerlachhelped a young pilot repair his 1929Parks P-2A when a friend groundlooped t on landing at Palmyra.Stan donated parts, hangar spaceand moral support to get the airplaneback into the air so the young mancould continue his barnstorming journey into the past . The pilot was RichardBach. You can read about Stan onpage 68 o Nothing By Chance byBach (Avon Books) .

I asked Helen if she might help mefind out something about Guy andFloyd Congdon from Palmyra whoowned the C-2 before Stanley did backfrom 1936 to 1955 and if she had anyphotos of the C-2 that I could copy.Then I called former owner RoyOberg again to talk with him about theC-2 s original altimeter, which he had.I wanted to find out if I might get itback into the C-2 or not. Roy had notbeen too responsive to the letters andpictures that I had sent him, so far. Wetalked about the C-2 and then about a1952 Ford 8N tractor governor. Finally, I asked him if I might have thealtimeter. He said, "Yes."

January 23, 1985Duane K Berke, owner of Aeronca7-AC, N 2259E, the airplane onceowned by my father, wrote a letter tome telling a short history of theairplane. He owned it since 1976. Itwas converted to 90 hp and flown as asprayer in the late 1950s. It was re-covered in the 1960s and an 85-hp enginewas mounted on it which it still hastoday. An implement dealer owned itand then a few farmers before Duane


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bought it in 1976.That night my mother woke me putof a sound sleep at II :30 pm. Therewas a phone call for me and as I pickedup the receiver I was just barely conscious. It was former owner of my C-2,Vince Burke. I had written Vince onJanuary IS, using an address given tome by the AAA. He was calling fromCalifornia where it was only 9:30 pm.We talked about the C-2, how he flewit, why he sold it to my father and howhe flew it to Hutchinson from Iowaback in 1964. I was very happy hecalled but much of what he was tellingme wasn't registering in my sleepybrain, so I told him to write it all downon paper and send it to me and I wouldkeep him informed on the project.

ebruary 5, 1985EAA Director of Information Services, Ben Owen sent information onthe EAA Aviation Foundation's C-2,NC 13089 and included a photo of theairplane taken at the old museum atFranklin. I will compile this information with other materials collected onthe remaining registered C-2s. Bensaid if he could help in the future hewould be happy to try and that I was

to give his regards to Max.ebruary 11, 1985I received five legal-size pages,hand-written on both sides from VinceBurke along with photocopies ofmagazine articles and color photos.

Vince told me that he had owned 47airplanes, so far, and that the C-2 wasstrictly a "fun" airplane to fly. It waskept at a museum in Sioux City, Iowaand he would fly it to flight breakfaststo promote the museum.I landed at Blue Earth Airport inMinnesota a few years ago and toldthe airport operator that I was fromHutchinson, Minnesota. He asked if Iknew of a C-2 located up there. I saidI did and he told me that it came toBlue Earth in the 1960s during a strongwindy day and landed, facing into thewind, flying backwards. That soundedlike a good story and, I asked Vinceabout it. In his letter, he told how thewind at the Blue Earth Airport wasabout 30 to 5 mph. He put the C-2over the runway and it drifted backwards as he reduced the throttle. Increasing power and easing the taildown, he landed the C-2 at three mph.Vince said he had some relatives Iiv

ing in Hutch and here' s an interestingpoint. It seems Vince 's cousin had anephew named Joe Dooley Joe's AuntBernice is married to my cousin, Stanley. We are all related .I worked on the first trial decal forthe C-2 using the overhead projectorborrowed from my church. The colortransparency of the tail decal emblemwas projected onto contact paper andthis image was then hand-painted withacrylic paint and checked for size andcolor.

February 13, 1985Second attempt at the tail decal.March 12, 1985I received a letter from Helen Gerlach. She had talked to some of herhusband's flying friends and askedthem about the C-2. They were surethat there weren't any photos takenback in the 1930s because no one hada camera and even if they had, theydidn' t have any film . Helen was going

through some of Stanley's papers andif she came up with anything she wouldsend it along. She also invited me tostop at her home if I visited Oshkoshagain.


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Taxi testing NC 10303 on the grass.

April 1, 1985The weather was changing. Snowpiles were melting into the ground andit was too warm to snow and too wetto o any field work. t was the perfecttime to finish the work on the C-2.I installed the dash panel which waspainted with black wrinkle enamel andbaked in my mother's oven. Then Iplaced all the instruments in the panel.The gas tank, sealed and painted, wasplaced back behind the firewall on thefuselage.

April 6, 1985I started to hand prop the engine and

getting the feel of the airplane, usingsome of the engine and rudder to tum.Because there were no wheel brakeson the airplane, using slight forwardstick and a boost of power from theengine would tum the little C-2. I practiced snaking back and forth to gainconfidence and control. I tried a fewfast speed runs but I never pulled theairplane off the ground.

April 30, 1985NC 10303 was flyable. When Istarted this project I set my goal ofhaving the C-2 in factory-fresh condition and I had the patience to o the

on the C-2 with Jim Wechman late inthe afternoon. He suggested that I waituntil the wind calmed down and a fewof the airport spectators left for homeand then go test hop the C-2. I was tootired that night.

May 2, 1985I got out of bed, dressed and hurriedout to the airport. Not wanting to givemy mother a coronary thrombosis, I'said not a word about my morningplans. Arriving at the airport at 6:34am, I pulled the gas-filled, oilchecked, rocker-arm-greased C-2 outof Joe Dooley's hangar. The sky was


24/36

I sow the wheel stili spinning nd the grass failing aw y.

Let 's not be a Jerk nd screw upl

loud BANG. Making a mad dasharound the whirling propeller, down,around and up through the wing's flying wires, I pulled back the throttle andslowed the engine down.As the tethered C-2 idled, I put Maxin the pickup truck, gave him a hugand said, I'll be back soon. I put himin the truck for his own safety becauseI certainly didn' t want anything to happen to him now . Besides, I wanted toknow exactly where he was .I pulled the chocks from the frontwheels, untied the tail and walked theC-2 away from the hangars, across theblacktop over to the grassy stripalongside the hard-surface runway.The morning grass was wet on myshoes and it made the smooth tiresshine. I spread open the seat belt, putmy right foot on the seat and pulledmy body through to the other side.Then I pulled my left foot in . The procedure reminded me of stretching intoa newly-washed pair of long underwear. Oil pressure was good so I taxiedthe C-2 to the far end of the runway.The low-pressure tires, the smallspring in the tailskid and the seat cushion helped soften the ride.Once I came to the far end of therunway, I stepped out of the cockpitand swung the tail, turning the C-2 intothe wind. Climbing back in and fastening the seat belt, I scanned the instruments and made a final run-up . I slipped on my pair of high school chemistry goggles, pulled the hood of mysweatshirt over my head and put on apair of welding gloves. My father's antique pocket watch said it was 7:44 am.Since he couldn't see the flight, Ismuggled along his watch for goodluck.

I m no Chuck Yeager, so I askedJesus if He wouldn't mind paying alittle attention to what was going ondown here at the end of the runway. Ireminded Him that I was a current Sunday School teacher with two sectionsof class to be taught, yet. I also vowed


25/36

and more abrupt and sharp until, suddenly, the choppiness stopped and theengine continued to bang away . Ichecked over my right side to see thewheel still spinning and the grassslowly falling away.As busy as I was concentrating onwhat I was doing, my eye caught afamiliar shape sitting on the blacktoprunway approach down near the hangars. t was Joe Dooley's cargo van .Hehad stopped out at the airport, bychance, to witness the first flight of theC-2 since 1965. How appropriate itwas for him to see me fly it for the firsttime since it was because of him thatthe project first started back in 1982.You might say he got the project "offthe ground" back then.I waved to Joe and made a slowgradual climb and then turned crosswind to downwind. The flight wentvery slowly and I thought to myself,I'm up here now. Let's not be a jerkand screw up " Myoid instructor,Vince Keltgen taught me to fly by the

seat of my pants and that feel for theairplane was how I was flying the C-2.I pulled the throttle back and immediately felt the cockpit cool. Slowlydescending, I turned from downwindto base and then lined up on the grassrunway. Drifting down, I cleared theengine and slid over the top of thegrass. It was as if the ground came upto the airplane and pulled it downsoftly until the wheels touched. Theground roll was short and I let out abig holler. t was like kissing the prettiest girl in town, getting your pilot'slicense and eating a Dairy Queen double banana split with chocolate syrupand nuts, all at once. I was ecstatic .Joe met me at the hangars and I gavehim my camera, told him where tostand and took off again. This time,Joe captured it on film. One the secondlanding, the right wing lifted and Joethought I was going to lose it, but everything went fine. The C-2 had flownfor half an hour. Butch Wechman

ERONC

Here I stand next to NC 10303 at our family airport, established by my father.


26/36

ninformation exchange column with input from readers

y Buck HilbertEAA 21, le 5)P.O. Box 424Union IL 60180


27/36

He had a little bad luck last year,losing a battle with a scaffold on thejob and broke both arms above theelbow. He was out of service and hurtin ' real bad but managed to rehabilitate himself by working on airplanes.He spent about all hi s time in "GlueAlley" (a row of T-hangars occupiedby antiquers, builders and such), working on hi s Fleet and Lorraine 's Commandaire project. This despite the factthat he has only about 90 percentmovement in his right arm and about15 percent in his left. Wanta see something funny and yet heartbreaking?Watch Bob try to put on his helmet andgoggles when he can' t even touch hetip of his nose. I have nothing but admiration for this guy . Instead of feelingsorry for himself because he can' t fly ,he recruited me to be his safety pilotwhile we flew down to Ensenada forMexican Aviation Day.If I'd known he was trying to bribeme with that filet dinner, I'd have toldhim to save it. All he had to do wasask About six years ago, I'd flownwith him in this same Fleet 7 to theMarana Fly-in . This Model 7 has original tube and fabric wheel fairings. Italso has a Kinner B-54 engine whichis the smoothest of that B-5 series. It' sa delight to fly. Bob has it equippedwith intercom and a battery operatedtransceiver so ingress and egress at Gillespie and crossing the border wereeasy - but I'm getting ahead of my self.With all the sweet talk out of theway, we made concrete plans . I was tobe at Glue Alley no later than nine

ayem because Dorothy and the rest ofthe ladies would ride down in the support van and they needed about a twohour head start . The plan was for aSaturday arrival at Ensenada, RONdown there, stay until the last minuteon Sunday and plan our trip home toclear U.S. Customs at Brown Field ,arriving back at Gillespie before dark .Friday was wet, rainy and nasty allday . I had doubts that we 'd even beable to go. Then a cold front pushedthrough, everything froze that nightand Saturday dawned CA VU. Theforecast was for a high of about 48degrees and brisk winds. "Freezedried" was all I could think about.We arrived at 08 :30. Von Willermust have been there hours before wewere because he had the Fleet out andwas giving it the last minute once-over.Hi s normal preflight reads like my recent "Spring Breakout" article - except that he has the added responsibility of two wings and a bunch of wires.He was polishin ' and fussin' andgreeted us with the word that the coffeewas on" over in Armin Holle 's hangar, next door. About that time, someone else showed up with Dunkin's "fatpills" and the bull session began.

t WAS cold You don ' t expect 30degree weather in San Diego. Whenwe got up that morning , my brother-inlaw 's front-yard fountain was frozensolid. The Red Baron, realizing thatwe weren't prepared to fight the temperatures had somehow accumulatedwhat I'd call ideal cold-weather gear.He set me up with an extra sweater , agenuine reproduction Air Force-type

flyin ' suit and a nice down-filled ,weather beater jacket. All of the stuffwas king-size too, so there was littlestruggle getting suited up.Getting the Fleet fueled came next.We topped it off with lOOLL ...Wouldyou believe it? IOOLL in a Kinner? Headded a liberal dose of TCP and acouple of pretty good doses of MarvelMystery Oil to ensure overhead lubeand to throw off the lead . You knowit worked The Kinner was very hardstarting but once it did , it ran smoothlyand without any sign of a bellyache.And now we waited. Bill Allen wa scoming over from Montgomery in hisStearman. We waited. The ladies hadlong-since departed as scheduled atnine o 'clock. I was getting warm so Ibegan de-suiting. Armin Holle was onthe phone filing the multiple-planeflight plan and getting authorizationfrom the Mexican Customs people . Ibrought him a cup of coffee which hepromptly spilled all over the push-button phone. Ed Lockhart 'sRampTrampChamp was ready, JohnDomer 's Mong Sport homebuiIt biplane was ready, Holle' s Starduster Toowas ready and we were ready. Wherewas Bill Allen and his Stearman?The coffee was coming through so Iducked around the corner to the restroom. When I came back there wasBill Allen and everyone was waitingfor me. Bill's.isone real dressed upStearman, all white and trimmed in international orange. Very pretty andsporty. Bill himself was togged out inthe neatest winter flying garb I've everseen. This guy knows how to go firstclass. We all got underway about 1 :30with the Fleet leading, followed by theChamp (no radio), the Mong (also anorad) the Starduster and the Stearman. After run-up, we departed inpairs and headed south over the mountains and under the traffic inbound toLindbergh. We passed right overBrown Field and Tijuana Internationalin Mexico. The famed Baja Coast was
http:///reader/full/Bill's.ishttp:///reader/full/Bill's.ishttp:///reader/full/Bill's.is


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John Domer s 1984 ong Sport.

Armin Holle s Starduster Too

squirt a little smoke. You know, "Starduster 7 Mike Hotel three milessouthwest, landing . (squirt) "Starduster on downwind" (squirt). Instant recognition, and there is no doubt as tohis position . Well, the Mong, theStearman and Holle's Starduster are allsmoke equipped so we had no troublekeeping them in sight. They'd squirtabout every eight minutes and that,friends, saves a lot of eyeballing TheChamp and the Fleet, being standardcategory airplanes don't have smoke.Almost wish they did.

About 50 minutes into the flight, wesaw Ensenada. There was quite a bitof Mexican chatter on the radio andwhen we got a word in, we were toldthat there were skydivers in the area cleared to land. We lined up on downwind and then asked the tower for alow pass. Right in the middle of thepass, the whole place was suddenly fullof jumpers. No problem They landedin front of the crowd and we flew byas everyone waved and cheered. Thecrowd really liked the simultaneousarrival. We weren't so sure.

I love the Mexican FAA. After landing, we were met by the head man andhi s briefing went like this, "Welcometo Mexico We are very happy youcame and brought your airplanes. NowGO FLY, but don't hurt nobody " Andthat's the way it went for the two days.The jumpers jumped. The Starduster,Stearman and the Mong did aerobaticsand rat-raced. And I flew rides in theFleet.

I flew an assortment of MexicanFAA people, airways traffic and control tower people, the base commandant and anyone else the Red Baronlined up . There was no language barrier here . We were all aviators andused the same sign language. Rides inthe Fleet brought promises of great rewards if we ever came to their officesor airports. I'll tell you, it was almostlike the old Swallow tour all overagain. I flew out that tank of IOOLL


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Von Willer s Fleet Model 7.

The Fleet has the original fabric-covered wheel pants.

out the beer and everyone got happy .Back to town. We lost a guy (oneof the Warbirds, wouldn't you knowit) and only had 3 in the van. Thenwe spread out to see the town . It wasone continuous cruise night, carsbumper to bumper, horns blowing andstereos going full bore. Baja buggies,four-wheelers , taxi cabs - Hey man,this is Tijuana brass and everybody ishappy It was cold, though, so weheaded back to the hotel and were gladto get there.Sunday dawned bright and cold . BillAllen found us a real nice restaurantand with his command of the languagewe were treated like royalty. I ve seldom had better food anywhere andtheir coffee was great.Back at the airport the crowd wasmuch smaller than yesterday afternoon . The jumpers were at it again andthe Mexican Air Force Shorts was running them up about every 20 minutes.t was too cold for open cockpit stuff,but the three smokers went up and dida little formation flying and aerobatics.When it warmed up, I started flyingpassengers again, this time some of ourown people. We all sat and watchedthe R.C modelers fly their machinesand then we had another go at it.Finally, about two o'clock we madepreparations to leave , but theywouldn't let us go The T-6s dusted

off the area and flew some formationpasses between jumpers. Holle didsome smoker aerobatics and so did theMong Sport . Finally, we were calledup to the speaker's stand and they presented Holle, our spokesman, a beautiful appreciation plaque. We thankedthem, formed up and headed out.The Customs people at Brown Fieldwere courteous and, at the same time,very adamant about that $25 fee. VonWiller and I were the last to clear andthe RampTrampChamp flew with usback to Gillespie. We landed just asdusk was falling and the nine of usheaded for a warm Chinese dinner right


30/36

WEL OME NEW MEMBERSThe following is a partial listing of neWmembers who have joined the EAAAntique/Classic Division (through Jan-uary 12 , 1989) We are honored to wel-come them into the origanizationwhose members common interest isvintage aircraft. Succeeding issues ofVINTAGE AIRPLANE will containadditional listings of new members.

Larry La Magdeleine William E. MarshPlainfield , Illinois Lawrenceville, New JerseyPaul E. Larsen Richard MartinSpring Hill , Florida San Marcos , CaliforniaJean Lavallee Jim MasonPointe des Cascades, Quebec Upper Lake, CaliforniaWilliam W. Lee Bill E. MastersTavernier, Florida Rochester, New YorkDavid H. Leipf Rober t A MatherCranston, Rhode Island Ponce Inlet, FloridaRalph Lerch Thomas A. MayBoone, Nonh Carolina San Diego , CaliforniaJ . R. Leuthauser Robert G. MaybeeSI Louis , Mis souri Royal Oak , MichiganLucien Levesque James McCabeVille De Laval, Quebec Markle, IndianaK. Eugene Levings Howard J. McCann Jr .Marion , Ohio Fallston, MarylandJohn H. Lewis H. C. McDermottCascade, Virginia Boca Raton, FloridaStephen J. Lingl Sandy McKenzieRochester, New York Obrien, FloridaDonald Linn Kenneth McLaughlinAston, Pennsylvania Nashua, New HampshireMark E. Logan Tim McManusSpringfield, Vennont Ponland, OregonDuane E. Logsdon W. R. Meiste rAlva, Oklahoma Mississauga, OntarioRonald G. Lovenberg Ralph E. MerkleHowell, New Jersey Orlando, FloridaHermon D. Lowery David G. MiguraPekin, Illinois Del City , OklahomaForrest Lucas Devery S. MillerPlentywood, Montana MI Laurel, New JerseyFrederick E. Ludtke Jerry A. MillerFreeland , Washington Conyers, Georgia

Raymond L. MoreauSlidell , Loui sianaJohn M. MorssChestnut Hill , Ma ssachuse ttsJames M. MortonNonh Cape May, New JerseyXen MotsingerCayce, South CarolinaKarl MullerKloten , SwitzerlandClifton MurrayCl inton , OhioJoseph J . NicholasAltamonte Springs , FloridaC. R. NickleGarland, TexasMary NoackCamarillo, CaliforniaStephen NugentDurham, New HampshireJohn D. O BrienWest Newton , PennsylvaniaSteven P. OhnigianBoulder, ColoradoThomas W. OlsonSan Antonio, TexasSharon Lee Ormosen .Yuba City, CaliforniaMichael E. OsbornCrowthorne, Perks, EnglandRoland Othnin-GirardSevres, FranceMike S. PannerNew Hannony, IndianaDonald E. PattersonPlymouth , MinnesotaDavid A. PaulAmarillo, TexasJeffrey M. PedersenYork, PennsylvaniaByron PenrodBrazil , IndianaBert PertuitJackson, Mississippi

Donald PowersGreen Bay , Wi sconsinRobert M. PrakerScottsdale , ArizonaSusan ProssMerzalben , Wes t GennanyReginald L. PulleyLancaster, CaliforniaWayne RakittkeRolling Meadows, IllinoisJan Odiorne RandleMocksville , Nonh CarolinaRobert C. RawlingsSault Ste. Marie, MichiganAldo RebsamenWil, SwitzerlandWilliam D RemingtonGlendale, ArizonaDennis RexroadTaylorville, IllinoisJon RiderMillville , PennsylvaniaDonald L. RiggsAsbury, New JerseyGeorge RileyBanlett, III inoisRoger L. RingelmanHolmen, Wi sconsinPeter M. RipleySackville, New BrunswickDavid RobertsMentor, OhioKenneth A. RobinsonChomedey Laval , QuebecDavid J. RockefellerNewbury Park , CaliforniaChristopher T. RogineRhinebeck, New YorkPaul C. RomineIndianapolis, IndianaCharles L. RooksFon Wonh , TexasDavid B. RossetterBoulder, Colorado


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V I ~ T A t 7 ~T I 2 A [ ~ 1 2

Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet. ..per word, $5.00 minimum charge. Send your ad toThe Vintage Trader, Wittman Regional Airport

Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591 .AIRCRAFT:(2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks, 1931 and 1934.Package includes extra engine and spares .Fuselage, wing spars and extra props.Museum quality $30,000 firm Hisso 180-hpModel "E". 0 SMOH with prop and hub andstacks. Best offer over $10,000. 1936 Porterfield 35-70, the lowest time Antique everLess than 200 hrs. TTA & E. 20 hours onengine. $12,500. No tire kickers , collect callsor pen pals, please E.E. "Buck" Hilbert, P.O.Box 424, Union, Illinois 60180-0424.FOR SALE - Michigan, 1940 Funk, 135 hpLycoming, 761 SMOH, TTAF 663. Completely rebuilt 1984, all new parts. Stits covering, excellent STOL, standard airworthiness certificate. Flying regularly, never damaged. No electric. $8,500. 616/867-3862,616/832-5532 (work). (6-1)Antique Little " Stinson - 1940 Modell 0,in very good condition. Inquiries to SpringHouse Aviation, R R 1, Box 38, WidgeonRoad , Williams Lake, BC, Canada V2G 2P l ,phone 604/392-2186. (7-2)Piper PA22-108 Colt - 1962 remanufactured 1988lbasic airplane/ALPHA 200. Asking $10,000/will consider "project" in trade.POB 2431, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2431. (8-3)

PLANS:POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying. Big,roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot. VWpower insures hard to beat V gph at cru isesetting. 15 large instruction sheets. Plans$60.00. Info Pack - $5.00. Send check ormoney order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414/5292609.

hub; remarkable inside (run once). Missingpush rods. Rusty casing, in original crate.215/340-9760 or 215/340-9133.1943 Daimler Benz, model DB601 V-12.Removed from a Messerschmidt 11OB . Appears to be rebuilt. Complete . Excellentcosmetic condition. Min. bid: $15,000. 1916Clerget 9 cylinder rotary, 130 hp., built byRuston, Proctor & Co ., England. Has oilpumps. Missing carburetor, magnetos andpropeller shaft. Excellent cosmetic condition.Min. bid : $12,000 . 1914 Gnome 9-cylinderrotary, model9N , 165 hp. Complete with twomagnetos, carburetor, oil pumps, ignitionswitch and propeller hub. Fair to goodcosmetic condition ; some minor surface rust.Min. bid : $12 ,000. 1916 Gnome 9 cylinderrotary, model 9N, 165 hp. Has two magnetos and propeller hub. No oil pumps orcarburetor. Excellent cosmetic condition .Min. bid : $10,000 . 1917 Siemens & Halske11-cylinder rotary, model SH3, 160 hp. Hastwo magnetos and carburetor. Oil pump missing. Excellent cosmetic condition. Min. bid:$8,000. Ca 1929 Hispano Suiza V-12, 650hp. Engine is complete (no exhaust manifolds). Six carburetors, two magnetoes. Excellent cosmetic condition. Min. bid: $6,000.Ca 1917 Lawrence 2-cylinder opposed,model A3. Complete with timer and Zenithcarburetor. Probably never run . Excellentcosmetic condition. Min. bid $800. Note : Allengines have been in the museum's collection for many years; their mechan ical condition is unknown. All museum collections objects offered for sale have been subjected toa rigorous review and have been determinedto be either duplicates , in poor condition, orout of the scope of the museum's collectingareas. In all cases this determination hasbeen made by the appropriate curator, a staffcollections committee, the President, andthe museum's Board of Trustees. Fundsrealized from the sale of collections objectsare restricted to the acquisition of new objects for the collections or the conservationof existing collections. The above engines

Cessna 140 - stainless exhaust and heatmuffs, $150. Taylorcraft tail surfaces, set 5$250 .,Marvel Schebler Carb MA-3 for 65-75hp Continental - $300. , Continental valvecovers aluminum - $25., steel - $5., Continental 65 hp Case - $50 .,Continental 65 hp.spring starter and case mounts rear case $50., Eisman Mag AM4, 65 hp, no gear $60., Case mag 65 hp - $35., Lycominggenerator and brackets - $50., Tripacer tiplights and brackets - $40 each., Sensenich6850 metal prop, bent tips - $50. 315/3634915. (6-1)

WANTED:WANTED - C85-8F/FJ. Cash for reasonable price running with log. Also, any parts forAeronca L-16. Ed Jarnagin, 8125 S. w. 205Terrace, Miami, FL 33189, 305/232-8936 .(6-2)Wanted - Anzani engine, any condition, forBleriot project. 805/942-0428. (6-1)Wanted: Call air A2, A3 or A4 basket case orflying. Harold Buck, Box 868, Columbus,Georgia 31902,404/322-1314. (7-2)

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Free catalog of complete product line.Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors andstyles of materials: $3.00.

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"WHEN AN OSHKOSH STORMBLOWS, IT'S PLEASURE TO BEINSUREDWITH AVEMCO:'

Robert J. Schroeder, Esq.

According to eyewitnesses, even the strength of eight menand women couldn't prevent a level four storm gust fromseverely damaging Bob Schroeder's picture-perfect 1936Taylor Cub J-2 at the 1988 EAA Oshkosh fly-in.

AVEMCO claims representatives on the scene went towork securing the aircraft and assessing the damage. Soonafter the claim was settled, Mr Schroeder sent kind wordsfor what he termed exceptional service in handling hisclaim. We appreciate his thanks, because it confirms thatour fast fair claims service is one of our most valuableassets.

Whether you fly a classic, a homebuilt or a standardproduct ion aircraft, when you're insured with AVEMCOyou can expect quality service if an unexpected ill windshould blow your way. Call us today for an immediate, noobligation insurance quote.

r ~LL DIRECT TC10TE FROM A


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~ J Y ~ T E R Y t ~ N Eby George Hardie Jr.

T he history of aviation records manyattempts to design the "foolproof'airplane. This one was the product ofthe designer of the most famousairplane in the world. The photo isfrom the EAA library collection, dateand location unknown. Answers willbe published in the September 1989issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE Deadline for that issue is July 10 , 1989 .That neat little floatplane in theMarch 1989 "Mystery Plane" columndrew some interesting answers. RoyOberg of Rockford , Michigan writes:"It's a Paramount Sportster, built in

THE PARAMOUNTAIRCRAFT CORPORATION

by Robert F. PauleyThe Paramount Aircraft Corporation, Saginaw, Michigan was createdby Joseph Edward Behse, who learnedto fly as a military pilot in World War Iand who served as an Air Corps flying instructor after the war. Behse

came from a wealthy family thatowned the Modart Corset Company inSaginaw. In 1927, the business wassold to the Gossard Company and as aresult of the sale, Behse was in a financial position to pursue hi s aviation interests . He formed Paramount on Au

Type Certificate Number 265. OneCabinaire (NC 17M) participated inthe September 1930 Ford ReliabilityAir Tour with Walter Carr as pilot. Itfinished in 15th place in a field cf 18entrants. That same Cabinaire, sin 7,still exists and is now being restored inFlorida.In 1930, Behse hired RalphJohnson, an aeronautical engineerfrom the Detroit area to design a new"sporty" airplane for Paramount. Thisnew design was known as theParamount "Sportster." It was a lowwing airplane with two-place, side-byside seating and powered with a 11O hp


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The Paramount Sportster on the Saginaw River. Walter Carr's Paramount Cabinaire.according to his comments. The verynext day it was taken by truck to Detroit, where it was placed on display atthe National Aircraft Show, held fromApril to April 9 . The sporty appearance of this new Paramountairplane attracted much attention andBehse later reported that he had takenseveral orders at the show .

After the show was over, the Sportster was returned to the factory atSaginaw where it remained for several

weeks . On May 16, 93 Behse tookthe airplane to the Saginaw River nearthe Milwaukee power plant to makesome demonstration flights. The firstflight proved uneventful when Behsegave Lester Grove, one of his flightstudents, a short ride . On the secondflight of the day, Behse went up with25-year-old Whitney Merritt, an aircraft mechanic who worked atParamount and had helped build theSportster. Shortly after 4:00 pm, they

took off smoothly, climbed steeplyinto a brisk wind to about 150 feet,entered a right banking turn and dovestraight down into the water, hittingabout 30 feet from the river bank.Behse and Merritt were killed instantlyand the airplane was a total loss.And so, only 36 days after its firstflight the Paramount Spotster, JoeBehse, Whitney Merritt and theParamount Aircraft Corporation cameto a violent end.


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vintage airplane - jun 1989

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