vintage airplane - mar 1978

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Mar 1978

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finding of old aircraft that can be restored. Additionally,all type club newsletters previously sent to AI Kelchshou Id now be sent to Dave Gustafson at EAA Headquarters . Dave does plan to devote space to type clubnews which is of general interest to the membership ifappropriate and sufficient information is forthcoming.Dave would also like to expand the magazine's fly-incoverage, but this can only be accomplished if fly-inchairmen will assign photographers and writers fromtheir own organizations to the task of providing thematerial for the magazine. Also, due to the lead timenecessary for publishing the magazine, articles must bereceived within two weeks after the fly-in so that they'restill reasonably current when pu blished.For those of you who have a story to tell and havesome interesting pictures of your old bird, but are hesitating because you are not sure of how to write forpublication, please just reread my column in either theFebruary, 1976, issue or the March, 1977, issue of thismagazine for a short course in magazine writing. It'sreally very easy. If I can do it, you can do it too.

THE RESTORER S -CORNERy J. R. NIELANDER JR.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome our neweditor of THE VINTAGE AI RPLAN E, David Gustafson,who takes over with this issue from our very dedicatedDi rector, AI Kelch, and his lo vely wife, Lois. AI and April 16Lois, who originally accepted the editorship for one yearback in January, 1976, had expressed their desire to berelieved of their edito rial duties with the completion ofthe December, 1977, issue. However, due to the factthat Dave was not going to be available until January,1978, plus the lead time required to put the magazine May 5-7together, they agreed to edit the January and February,1978, issues. Again we want to sincerely thank AI andLois for a great job beautifully done.Thus it is that with thi s March issue we welcome Dave Ito our organization and wish him every success in hisendeavors. Dave has exciting plans for the improvementof our magazine, and he anticipates a greater d iversifi May 26-29cation of the type of articles to be published. Hisimmediate ne ed is for more articles on classic restorations. He can also use articles on antique restorationsas well as arti cles telling about the hunting down and

CHAPTER NEWSThe active people in our Florida Chapter havecome up with an idea that we think is worthpassing on:

ANNOUNCING THE"TEN FOR TWELVE" CLUBWe proudly and gratefully list below all presentmembers of The "TEN FOR TWEL VE Club .These members have all generously pledged $10 amonth for 12 months toward the LAIRD SUPERSOLUTION Restoration Project.Betty Jones Bob StrahlmannLeonard McGinty, Jr. Floyd McKahanBob White John ParishDonna Bartlett Allan WiseKen Davis Toni GuayE. A. Crosby J im Sw aneyMerl Jenkins Morris BennettBill Ehlen Elsie LairdEvelyn White Ralph LoosPaul and Audrey PobereznyIf you're interested in joining, write to FloridaSport Aviation Antique/Classic Association, Box5292, Lakeland, FL 33803

C L E N D R ~ 9 BGrand Prairie, Texas - Annual Fly-Insponsored by EAA Chapter 34. ContactGeorge C. Sims 817/292-4233 or292-3798.O1ino, California - 4th Annual SouthernCalifornia Regional Fly-In. Sponsored byEAA Chapters 1, 7, 11, 92, 96, 448 and494. Contact Gene Vickery, 1115 S.Sierra Vista Ave., Alhambra, CA 91801 213/289-8944.Harvard Illinois - Monocoupe Fly-In.Dacy Airport. Held in conjunction withRyan Fly-In. Contact Willard Benedict,129 Cedar St., Wayland, MI 49348.

June 3-4

June 2-4

General Motors Wildcat Test Pilot andGround Crew reunion. Contact DickFoote, P.O. Box 57, Willimantic, CT06226 (Phone 203/423-2584) or DanHanrahan, 470 Elmore Ave., Elizabeth,NJ 07208 (Phone 201/254-4481). Namesand addresses appreciated .The Annual Fly-In of the Greater KansasCity Chapter, Antique Airplane Association will be held at Amelia EarhartMemorial Airport, Atchison, Kansas.Contact Dick Shane, 8315 Floyd, Overland Park, KS 66212 - 913/648-3139 orKermit Hoffmeier, 103 N.W. 64th Terrace Gladstone MO 64118 -816/436-3459.


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whic h

ditorialtaffEditor

David Gustafson, Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch, Edward D. Williams

to submit stories and photographs . Associate Editorto those writers who submit five or more articles which areVINTAGE AIRPLANE during the current year. Associates

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and a free one-yearfor their efforts. POLICY -Op inions expressed in

the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in report-

Directors

Advisors

PRESfDINTJ_R. NIELANDER. JR"P.O. BOX 2484 ' IFT. LAUOEROALE ,FL 33303YlCE QJWTJACK WINTHROPI f{T. 1.SOX 111ALLEN, TX76002

~ t YW. &AII'D THOMAs,JR.301 OODSON MtLL Q ~ OPILOt MOUNTAIN. NC 27041TREASURERE.E. "BUCJ("HII.BERT8102 LeeCH RD.UNtON.' lL80180

THe VI"'TAGI! A1 ....l.A"'E I._h v .. _ pom . . . . WICo........ ~ I n \53130. .....I..... li . ,4 .00 _ 12 month,lMmtMnh... i'I _ oil who

Will iam J. Ehlen AI KelchRoute 8 Box 506 7018 W. Bonniwell RoadTampa. Fl orida 33618 Mequon, Wisconsin 53092Claude L. Gray , Jr . Morton W. Lester9635 Sylvia Ave nue Box 3747Northridge, California 91324 Martinsville, Virginia 241 12Dale A Gustafson Arthur R. Morgan772 4 Shady Hill Drive 513 North 91st StreetIndianapolis , Ind iana 46274 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226Richard Wagner M. C. "Kelly" VietsP. O. Box 181 RR 1 Box 151Lyons, Wisconsin 53148 Stilwell, Kansas 66085

Ronald fritz Stan G omoll1989 Wilson, NW 104 2 90th Lane, NEGrand Rapids, Mich iga n 49504 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55434Roger J . Sherron Robert E. Kessel446-C Las Casitas 445 Oakridge DriveSanta Rosa, Ca lifornia 95401 Rochester, New York 14617

Robert A. White1207 Falcon Dr iveOrlando, Florida 32803exc tu sive l y by EAA An t ique / C l assic, D iv is ion , I nc ., and is pu b l ished130. Second class Pos tage pa id a t Ha les Corne rs P ost Office, Ha les

mail ing o ff ices . Membe rship ra tes fo r EAA Antique / Classic D iv is ion,$ 10 .00 i s f o r I he publ ica t ion o f T H E V IN T AGE A IR PLANE .in av i at ion.

1 12s NTASEA/fJPIJlNEOFFICIAL MAGAZINE

ANTIQUE / CLASSIC DIVISIONo THE EXPERIMENT L IRCR FT SSOCI TlON

Po Box 229, Hales Corners Wis. 53730Copyright "' 1978 EAA Antique/ Classic Division , Inc. , All Ri ghts Reserved.

MARCH 1978 VOLUME 6' NUMBER 3

(Cover ph oto by Chris Sorense n: Frank Delmar's Fleet)The Restorer 's Corner, by J. R. Nielander . . . . . 1An Extraordinary Fl ee t, by David Gustafso n . . . _ . 3Cessna Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6J2 times 8, by Bob Zedekar . _ _ 7Better Than New, by Dorr Carpenter . . . . _ . . _ _ 9Vintage Album, by H. F. S. Wadman . . . . . . _ 11Norseman Affair, by Byron (Fred) Fredericksen . . . 13Restoration Tips: Aluminum Surfaces, by David Gustafson . . 19Whistling in the Rigging, by Tom Poberezny . 20Letters . . . - . . - . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP

ONON-EM MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division , 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year mem-bership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and separate membership cards.SPORT AVIATION magazine not included.

OEAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/ClassicDivision, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membership card.(Applicant must be current EAA member and must give EAA membership number.)

Page 3 Page 7 Page 73

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by David Gustafson ditorYou're right, it' s not a stock Fleet. It's a uniqueFleet . . . in many ways. That' s how Frank Del maranswered a nit-picker last summer who thought he hadgrounds for complaining that Frank's restoration didn'tdeserve the trophies he was sweeping up. Frank haddone his homework, however, and usually carries a notebook with xerox copies of over a hundred pages ofdocumentation, tracing the evolution of his special bird.Actually, the lion's share of credit for art work andcraftsmanship currently in Frank's Fleet belongs to WaltScheibe, who took it on as h is 36th complete restorationproject, but more about that later.

ISTORYIn the beginn ing . the Fleet Aircraft Company ofCanada filed an Aeroplane Inspection Release Certificatein 1939. The plane was given serial number FAL 262and classified as a Fleet 16F. I had a Warner SuperScarab Series 50 Engine that developed 145 horsepowerat 2050 rpm. The airscrew was a Curtiss metal fixedpitch job with an eight-foot diameter. There was anupper wing tank that held 20 imperial gallons and a bellytank held 23 more. A factory mod record states Thisaircraft departs from the standard Fleet 16F in the following respect: Fork Fixed Tail Wheel, Oil Tank, Engine

Cowling. That's all very curious since Frank can't findany evidence of even a single standard Fleet 16F. (Canyou?)After the ob gatory test hops, the plane was sold tothe Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego withthe marks NC20699. It was and is today , 28 feet wideat top and bottom wing, 22' long in flight and 7'10 high. The records show that Consolidated refered tothe airplane as a 16F .In April, 1939, Consolidated sold the plane for abuck and other considerations to the BrewsterAeronautical Corporation of Long Island City, NewYork. Shortly thereafter, Brewster applied for Registration and a Commercial Certificate and the form revealedthe plane had 82 hours on it. Three months later,application was made for an Experimental certificate.The form curiously classified the machine as a NewAirplane . What made it new in the eyes of Brewster,who now called it a B-1 (where have I heard thatbefore?) an d gave it the number NX20699, was the swapto a Warner 165 horsepower engine. They also installed asingle gas tank, capable of holding 33 u .S. gallons, andcompletely refurbished the plane.Brewster published the following specs on the aircraftin 1939:Span 28'Length 22' 11Height 8' 0.5Wing area 202 sq. ft.Power load ing 11.8 Ibs./hp.Wing loading 9.7 Ibs ./sq . ft.Empty Wt. 1,227 poundsUseful load 723 poundsGross Wt . 1,950 pounds

The plane was given serial number 1 and Brewster gota license for flight tests . With the Warner 165, they cameup with the following performance goodies:Maximum speed 122 mphCruising speed 105 mphLand ing speed 52 mphService ceiling 14,000 feetRate of cl imb 900 ft./m in.Range 350 miles

There were two optional engines; the Ranger6-440B-2 which developed 175 hp. at 2,450 rpm or theKinner R-5 which cranked up 160 hp at 1,975 rpm.Testing began early in 1940, but apparently didn't


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Above: Walt Scheibe applies dope to the freshly recover-ed fuselage. (Photo by Frank Delmar)

lead to any kind of impressive results in the militarymarketplace. Probably in an effort to secure some government funding, the Brewster Corporation sold theFleet as a 16F, serial number 1, to the Penguin FlyingClub (i.e . a dummy corporation) for five bucks. I wassold without an engine, but it now had anew, detachable Motor Mount.If you think it's getting confusing, you'd better getyour compass out.The Penguin Flying Club filed for registration anddescribed the aircraft as a Brewster Fleet 10. They hadinstalled a 125 horsepower Kinner B5 a Hamiltonadjustable prop, and 47 pounds of ballast forward ofFirewall. Then an inspection report in 1943 notes thatthe fuselage was altered to conform to original print.This meant it would conform to ATC No. 374.George Hamill, a CAA inspector maintained the Fleetwhile it was with Penguin. Max Goldstein became theowner in 1946, which commenced hand-changing exercises between a long list of private owners. In theprocess, someone added a Hawoodie Air Starter, someone else took it off; someone changed to a Curtiss prop,then it went back to a Hamilton; and the engine changedfrom a B5 to a B5R (sound familiar?). At one point theaircraft was sold for $475. The buyer put down $300and never got around to laying down the balance. Finally it came into the hands of Jack Mozian who putseven hours on it in seven years. It was tail heavy andbadly out of trim.Frank Delmar bought it from Jack in 1972 and thework started on it shortly after that.

Above: Stretching new fabric over the Fleet's lowerwing. All internal parts are painted. (Photo by FrankDelmar)Below: The Fleet's ready for a tow to Providence Air-port where it will be rigged and test flown. (Photo byFrank Delmar) A picture of Frank Delmar'sFleet in 7939. It was called aBrewster Fleet B 7 at the timend h d a Warn er SuperScarab 765. Note the speedcowl and rear view mirror.

TH RESTORATIONAs Frank researched the plane, one obvious questionemerged: what do you restore it to? It was a Fleet 16Fin the beginning , well, sort of. Then it was a Brewster B-1 then a Consolidated Fleet 10, then 10 F forawhile, then 10 again. The decision was made to rebuildit as a Brewster Fleet lOw ith a 125 horsepower KinnerB5 and a hand carved Fahl in prop.The plane was moved into Walt Scheibe's shop andbroken down into a gazillion parts. All the metal partswere stripped. The wings were denuded and in theprocess they discovered nests from some rodent stowaways. In the past, fabric and dope dummys had tightented the rag to the point that it pulled in the trail ingedge and puckered the aft tips of all the ribs: We had towork on every si ngle rib and com pletely replace the ailerons, notes Walt. All the trailing edges were replaced, then the round head rivets in the leading edges wereswapped for flush rivets. Old sheet metal was discardedfor new, a kinked push-pull rod went, the cabanes werereplaced along with one of the gear struts. Theinstrument panel was restored to its original pattern andwas fitted with vintage instruments. In the three yearsand 1,200 hours that Walt spent on the project, he alsodid a total overhaul on the Kinner, including building anew oil tank (the old one had rusted out around thetop), and replacing all the old copper oil lines withmodern flex lines.Deviations from the original specs were kept at aminimum. Stainless flying wires were installed in theinterest of safety, the sticks were chrome plated in the

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serviced thousands of airplanes over the years. Theplanes he's rebuilt from basket cases, or wrecks, includean Arrow Sport, Kitty Hawk, KR-31, OX Robin, AWCessna, 5 )-3's, Luscomb 8A and TF, Aeronca C-3 twoTaylorcrafts, PT-19 and 26, Wildcat (only started),Beech Queen Air, three Bonanzas, three Commanches,three Cherokees, three Cessna 140's, a 172, four Tripacers and Frank Delmar's unique Fleet 10. That addsup to 36, pi us a wealth of knowledge that a lot of peoplewish they could match. And Walt's really good aboutsharing it.HONORSFinished and airworthy again in the spring of 1977,the Fleet was ready for dress parade, and Frank waseager to show it off. Later, he'd admit he really wasn'taware of what a fabulous job the rebuild amounted to,until he started dropping in on some fly-ins whileenroute to California . It didn't take long to becomeconvinced he had a winner. Last summer he flew 11,000 .miles, logging 129 hours and during that time he pickedup 17 trophies, including 4 Grand Champion Awards. Hecouldn't make Oshkosh last summer, but he's planningon more long trips in '78, and you can be sure he'll be atOshkosh this summer. It's worth waiting for

Having fun out over the Atlantic. (Photo provided yFrank Delmar)What goes through a man s mind when he taxis such an exquisite antique past a row of modernlook-alikes? (Photo y Paul Mezaro)

interest of cosmetics, and the original 8.50 x 10 tireswere put aside in favor of 6.50 x 10's.The nose dish, of course, is anything but standard.Brewster had redesigned the engine mount and whenthey were finished with it, the plane had a swivel mount.With the Penguin Club's new Kinner B5 an exhaust ringwas secured right behind the prop. The modified mountand exhaust ring are a unique feature on N20699. (Theengine on it today is a B5R, or rear exhaust, but Waltleft the ring on for the appearance of originality as wellas for ballast.)Walt covered the fuselage and wings with Grade Aand Frank, who put another 800 hours into the project,reports they screwed it down with 780 Y


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Top: essna 720 y Dick StoufferCenter: essna 770B y Ted KastonBottom: essna 765 y Ted Kaston

CESSN PROFILESFrom the photo files o

EMUSEUM NEEDS

The following items are needed to carryon the programs of the EAA Air Museum Foundation. If you canhelp, please cont act Gene Chase, Museum Director, atEAA Headquarters, Telephone 414/425-4860. Donations to the Museum are tax deductible. 25 ton hydraulic press Porta-power or body jack set (4 ton) Cherry G-704 power riveter

Air operated automotive bumper jack Automotive analyzer (Sun Machine) Banding tool for straps W , % and 1 wide Cylinder base wrenches for 65 through 0-200 Continental engines Cylinder base wrenches for 0-235 through 0-360Lycoming engines (Hex and Allen head) Cylinder base wrenches for Continental R-670 andLycoming R-680 Crankcase and crank for a Lycoming 0-235 through0-360. Any condition - for display only.

High pressure cleaner 700 psi, 115 v.) Aircraft tug Engine slings for R-1820 and V-1650 Air compressor - 5 hp. or more Prop or blades) for BT-13 R-985) or AT-6 R-1340) Belt sander Floor sander Sheet metal brake Small band saw Paint spray booth Paint storage cabinets Electric metal shear Borescope Old aviation books Old photographs Old blueprints Old scrapbooks

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"". J"a CU TII S 8

By: Bob ZedekarEAA 709778)33 Moorewood CourtSacramento, C 95827Photos provided by the author)

Airplanes have always fascinated me but, with WW II,college, being gainfully employed and being married, airplanes always seemed to come second. Accordingly, Inever logged more than 16 hours. As a 26 year employeewith United Airlines' sales department I have been privilaged to fly to all corners of the earth - but that 's notreally flying. My only claim to fame in flying machines isthat I have restored one, and, since I work for United, Ilike to think of myself as a poor man's Buck Hilbert

As you already know, it's a very simple matter torestore an antique. All you have to do is: 1. find onehanging in a barn, 2. have the owner sell it, 3. have thefunds to buy it, 4. have space,. proper tools, know-howand more funds. Since I had only vague ideas that suchaxioms existed, I succeeded in restoring a 1936 J-2

Taylor Cub.Looking back, I guess the antique syndrome manifest

ed itself in the mid 50's when I was working in ourSeattle sales office. One of my chohorts, Jack Mitchell,was a real antique afficianado - he could tell you howmany AN3-11 bolts were used in a Viele Monocoupe.Anyway, Jack and I got to taking in the Watsonville andMerced Airshows and the antique affliction hit.

In 1964 United transfered me to Sacramento and Isoon found a new circle of antiquers. I n the Spring of'68 I made up my mind to ignore all of the stories ofthere ain't no more to be found and started out on a

concerted effort to locate a rebuild project. Surprisingly,I traced down several stored antiques within a 100 mileradius. But, like some old girlfriends, they were eithertoo expensive or too big to handle

Then, one fine day, I was bird -dogging Lind's Fieldsouth of Sacramento. To the umpteeth person I asked,

know of any antiques in any of these hangars? Thistime the response was, Yeah. Tom Murphy, the A P

has some kind of a hulk in that hangar across the strip.And Tom must be there because his car is parked outside. I thanked the kind man and proceeded to findTom. The subject hulk turned out to be a fuselage, tailfeathers, gear, 3 lift struts, a rusty looking A-40 and 2right wings that had been last used as battering rams.The nameplate confirmed Tom's contention that it was ajen-u-wine J-2. It read: TAYLOR AIRCRAFT CO.,BRADFORD, PA: MODEL J-2; SERIAL 886; DATE OFMFG. Oct. 7, 1936; MOTOR CONT A-40-4.

Tom said he would reluctantly sell this assemblage ofparts because he was getting married and could use someextra cash for his honeymoon. I hated to take advantageof Tom's plight but we settled on a price. The next day Iwent down in a pickup to retrieve the purchase. Whenwe pulled into our driveway it looked like a scene fromSanford SonHar-de-har-har No.1: It's going to take at least ayear to ge t this bird back into the air. If someone hadeven suggested eight years I would have quit right then.

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Bob Whittier's 1966 articles in Sport Aviation, "TheForty Horsepower Cubs," were extremely va luable inputt ing No. 886 back into original co nfiguration andcolor schemes. Bob Thompson (Mr. A-40) from Daytonsent me a lot of welcome advice regarding the engine.And the FAA boys from OKC said that I could have theoriginal N number back 17220.My so n, Steve, and I soon learned that our meagerbox of hand too ls wouldn t get the job done. Th en twoturn of eve nts go t the project off dead center. One waswhen I signed up for eve ning classes at Sacramento CityColleges' School of Aeronautics and the other is when Iteamed up with John Peck in renting an old block building in the neighborhood.John (EAA 026985) is an ex Air Force fly-boy withan A P ticket. He was compl eting a Starduster projectand starting on a J-5 rebuild. John is a Rembra ndt withan acety lene torch. If he has a fault it would be that heso metimes forgets to remove hi s fingers from the backside of a piece of 2024 T3 while he sends the drill

through the frontsideOne pleasant surprise came when the engine wasopened up - she was as clean as a hound's tooth insideand met all tolerances from the table of fits. After avalve grind, new rod bearings, new rings, new gaskets anda paint job the Mighty Forty ran and looked like the dayit left Muskegon.Making new cowling and the %-inch sled that theseats ride on was a bugger - patterns didn 't mean a thing.Then, too, the wings were time consuming (rememberI had two right wings to start with). Every rib, wire andbolt needed attention. After one of the right wings wasback in order I simply made a new left wing by headingthe spars back in the opposite direction and making amirror image - with new wood. All instruments are original . all 4 Swede Johnsonsold me an original tach and altimeter. He also sold me abeautiful new Fahlin prop. Since Wag-Aero was notselling the old vane type airspeed indicators at the time Imade one from a pattern.After listening to some lengthy arguments on Stits vs.Grade A, I decided that Stits would be easier for anamateur. By simpl y reading a book and using a heat gunI think the cover job looks great.

"Meanwhile, back at the ranch . " 8 years later,June 3, 1976 to be exact, the local GADO sent out arepresentative to give the "OUT HOUSE MOUSE" a newbirth certificate. Don Horton dropped into Borges Fieldearly the next morning to test hop. Unless you hav eactually experienced the feeling of seeing your labor oflove leave the ground there is no real way to describe it.It certainly drai ns all emotions in one short moment.The plan was to leave immediately for the MercedAntique Sh ow. Two hours and six courtesy hops later,Dan Shively an d I took off and headed south. We werehardl y out of sight when we noticed the oil pressure andtemp needles had started to reep toward the red lin e.

Rather than ruin a fresh engine Dan put her down on aranch - finis Merced 1976. Lesson No.1 001: S.A.E. 30oil is okay for break-in and short once-around-the-patchhops but it needs heavier stuff for sustained flight on awarm day.NCl7220 wound up with 31 hours in the summer of'76. She's back in the barn for the winter gettingpurtied-up for Watsonville and Merced. Or, who knows, Imight even enter the little beauty in a good blimp raceif they'll give me a reasonable handicap


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JETTERGfHAN

~ By: Dorr B. CarpenterEAA 277 24L)225 Saunders RoadLake Forest, I L 60045An old aircraft or antique, even when gone over andrebuilt to the best standards, is never better than new."Any plane is only as good as its weakest component; likea chain, it is only as strong as its poorest link. The statement often heard at fly-ins is that plane is rebuilt

better'n new " On the surface, the fabric job or paintmay look better than factory work, but this is onlysu perfic a IIn reality there are many places where an old aircraftcan be very tired. Unfortunately, these weaknesses arenot always readily apparent and can go undetectedthrough repeated annual inspections. A few obviousexamples are crystalized metal parts, rust inside steeltubing, and glue joints no longer holding in woodenstructures covered with fabric.This situation was brought home forcibly to me a fewyears ago in an incident in which no accident occured,but could have very easily.An old Ryan STM that I brought back from Australiawas being demonstrated to a prospective customer. Theplane was unusually solid and in good condition inspite of its 30 years service. That is to say, it lookedgood; it had a low time engine (35 hours since new), andnew fabric and paint on an airframe totaling only 350hours over the years.The prospective buyer sat back on the first flightaround the field and followed through on the controls toget the feel of the plane. These Ryans have a fairly highsink rate with the engine at idle and two pilots on board.When it was h s turn, it became necessary to add power

Right Ryan STANo. 728 with aMenasco C 4. Builtin 7935 From EAAphoto file)

Above: Ryan STM-S2 N8746 in 7970. Photo provided by Dorras he over-estimated the glide angle of the approach forhis landing. Again, the second time we came in too lowover the corn field. I have a great respect for what a cornfield can do to an aircraft, and I was not too happyabout these low power-on approaches over corn. Oncemore power was needed and chopped when the threshold was made. The landing seemed normal, but when theplane slowed down, I could see something was wrong.The throttle quadrant was moving, but the engine wasnot responding What if we had needed one more shot ofpower to make the field?After the Menasco was shut down, the trouble wasascertained to be a broken push-pull rod. I had snappedwhere it passed behind the gas tank and was out of sight

of any inspection.The point is that on closer scrutiny, the condition ofthe aluminum rod on the outside seemed good, but hadcorroded from the inside. The situation was th is at thetime the plane was manufactured and the rod assembled,a bug had crawled inside the aluminum rod and died.The resulting chemical action of his remains over theyears had caused the failure.I hope never to hear the better than new" statementagain, and I am sincerely glad to see the antique aircraftremoved from the strain of acrobatic competion thatthey were subjected to in the middle 1960's. Old air-planes should be handled and maintained only withgentle care and respect

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recorded with the aircraft file.ModifyingCertifiedircraft

By: jim Peale577 Ashby WayWarner Robins G 37 93

(Note: reprinted from The Slipstream, EAA Chapter 38Newsletter)When you own one of the Antique or Classic aircraft,many times a modification becomes necessary to up-grade the aircraft for safety or improve its performance.One of the problems I've always had with the Bellancawas poor brakes. Going into short strips was a problem ifyou had to really get on the brakes. The original equipment brakes would heat up and fade if you laid on them.I wanted to upgrade the brakes and put on new modernbrakes, both for safety and also due to replacement partsbeing cheaper and readily availab le. We'll use th is as anexa mple of the proper "legal" way to get new equipment in sta ed on "Certified Aircraft" when no supplemental type certificate exists. Well, here goesFirst, you get an A P mechanic to install it. He thenfills out an FAA form 337 complete with sketches,pictures of the modification, and mails it to the localFAA GADO office. They'll look at the data presented tocheck to see that it doesn't degrade the aircraft performance or compromise safety. If there's any doubt, theysend it to FAA Engineering for their review andapproval. Once the FAA has approved the 337, theysend it back to the ow ner or mechanic. The local A Ithen comes out to inspect the aircraft to see that th enew equipment was installed per sketches, drawings, etc.After he signs the 337, it goes to Okl ahoma City to be

Here's what I really did ... First I bought some brakekits that were built for a Cessna 180, same weight classas the Bellanca. I removed the old brakes and fitted thenew brakes on the old axles. The old axles were the samesize so that saved some work. The brake attaching platehad to have two new bolt holes drilled in it to match theexisting plate on the Bellanca. With the new brakehooked up, it was time to retract the gear and check forinterference. The new brake puck hit the retract linksupon retraction, so go back to step 1 and turn the brakepuck to the forward side of the wheel. Retract the gearagain, th is time no interference. Now for the taxi test.Boy, they really do work. Now for the paperwork. Ifilled out a 337, carried it up to the GADO office inAtlanta along with a drawing of the modification,pictures and data showing where it was approved for theCessna 180. Well, the GADO inspector wanted itchecked by Engineering because he had no experiencewith brakes installed on the forward side of the wheels. Idrove across town to the Engineering office to meet withthe Engineer and after he gave it a quick look, he saidOK; then back across Atlanta to get the GADO inspectorsignature, then home.May I suggest that if you want to modify yourAntique or Classic aircraft you get with an A I first ,then talk it over with the GADO Inspector before youstart into the project. They may know of a good reasonwhy it won't work .

Back - Issues available: THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE1973 - March, April, May, June, July, August, Sept.,Oct ., Nov. , Dec .974 All 12

1975 - Jan. thru June, July /Aug., Sept./Oct., andNov./Dec.1976 10, all BUTJuneandJuly1977 - All 12Cost: $1.00 each ppd with the exception of the July'77 Spirit issue $1.25.Write: Experimental Aircraft Association

Box 229Hales Corners WI 53730


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Vintagen nd Theil

Above : Morane Saulnier MS.377 is a very famous French parasol-wing trainer with radial engine. St ill in use at someairfields as a glider-tug. Built in the thirties. This was at Luneville.Below: Erla SA was recently restored and based at the airfield of Birrfeld in Switzerland. This one (c/n. 74) was built in7934; and is of German origin.

Some of E.Photographs by: H S. F.IRNIEPostbus

HOLL

Above: Bucker 7 7 "Jimgmann". This one was built in Sfrom the famous BU. 7 J ungmeister" in having two seaLthese Swiss ones have a Continental boxer engine.Below: Taylorcraft Plus D. Another oldie is this Taylorer,Cote.


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Albumtage achines

Above: Klemm L.25-R 5 is a very old German prewar design; stil l owned by Mr. Kramer at Luxembourg-Findal airportand in excellent condition.

s s finestmWTTERDAM

3004 GA Rotterdam-Airport

and with the Swiss Dornier works at Altenrhein. It differs Above: DH.82A Tiger Moth is in fact G-APCU and was painted in its original RA F markings for the fi lm A Bridge TooFar . Based at Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base in Holland.1al Jungmanns have an engine with hanging cylinders, butBelow: De Havilland DH 82A, one of the bes t preserved Tiger Moths in EUrope and seen here at Bern Belp. It has a brightm World War II. It can be seen here at Nyon-Gland a la red and white colour scheme.


14/24

By: Byron Fred) Fredericksen324 W Breezewood LaneNeenah, WI 5 956Photos by the author)

You gotta have big feet, eh? After hearing thischoice bit of information I thanked Dan Springer andhung up the phone. Danny 's an FBO in Sault Ste. Marie,Ontario and is qualified in many of the "bush planes"used in the Canadian North country. Of particular in-terest to me at that time was his knowledge of theNoorduyn Norseman. Danny advised me of the take-off,climb and cruise power settings, amount of fuel burnedper hour, as well as flap settings for take-off and landing.The information was to prove invaluable.A friend, Richard Scribner, of Pontiac, Michigan, hadpurchased a Norseman on floats which was located on areservoir near Rock Hill, South Carolina. It needed to be

The author and Norseman taking a five at the IslandAirport Bridge Knoxville, KY.

ferried to the Brennand seaplane base on Lake Win nebago, near Oshkosh , Wisconsin, where it was to bedisassembled and taken to the Brennand Airport forrecover and other maintenance.It was already the season where Wisconsin lakesfreeze over and since I had been unsuccessful in locatinganyone with a 'pontoon permit' who was also qualifiedin a Norseman, I decided lowed myself th is trip. Yearsago I'd had the chance to sit in a Norseman. The closestI'd come to flying that type was one take-off and landing in an Otter on wheels, and two more in a Beech 18.At the time, my partner, Chuck Andreas, and I owned aCessna 180 on floats. We also flew Gull Winged Stinsonsand Stearmans; however, it never hurts to listen to thekind of experience that my friend Danny was willing to

share.This Norseman had previousl y been operated inSouth America so who knew what language was on theinstruments. I was sure the radio equipment was nil . Ihad the log books but my Spanish is limited to"Tequila".Currently there are several Canadian and U.S. FlyingServices operatirig Norsemen today as people and cargohaulers. The Norseman was design ed by ex Fokker ChiefEngineer, Robert Noorduyn and almost 1,000 were builtin his Montreal Plant beginning in 1934. The one I flewwas built in 1941. Most were des ignated UC-64S for theU.S . Air Force and saw duty in several countries duringWW II This old bird was capable, dependable and big.I'm sure they will take their place in aviation historyalong with the huge Bellancas Fairchilds and Stinsonsthat operated in the bush country all over the world forthe past fo ur decades. I remember watching Norsemanspounding in and lifting out of the lake at Wawa, Ontarioon Tuesdays and Thursdays back in the 1950's beforeHighway 17 was wrapped around Lake Superior. Youeither flew back then or took the train to go shopping inthe Soo, and those planes were twenty years old at thattime. And the loads they would carry I once saw adisassembled caterpi l ar un loaded from a Norsemanalong with some passengers and some loaded 55 gallondrums.Getting back to "my" Norsem an, I thought about theproblems and equipment that would be involved in thisadventure. Since I'd already had some experience in buying and picking up airplanes I was wary of the phraseit's all gased and ready; all you have to do is get in itand go " The only thing I was sure of before seeingthe plane was that I would not find any flat tires on it. Imade a check list of items I might need, including cash,

credit cards, maps, life jackets, rope, more rope, floatpump, gun boots, sack of tools, cloth tape, chamois, anda helper. I called a pilot-buddy, Bill Olson, of Neenahand asked, how would you like an expense-paid tripdown South to help me man-handle this big float plane?Be back in a day." He agreed and Delta brought us andour gear to Charlotte the next day.We rented a car, picked up the ferry permit fromFAA and drove another twenty miles into South Carolina to see what this airplane looked like before dark. Ittook some searching through the woods and hills butonce we found the reservoir it was not difficult to findthat big yellow airplane. The Norseman was practically

13


15/24

out of the water and it looked huge. Apparently, therewas a dam somewhere in this water system and someonehad recently turned a valve. So here sat the better partof four tons of hulk on 'two huge floats which werestuck in the mud. To add to our delight the thing wasparked in a cove facing directly at a boat house not morethan eighty feet away. This meant the airplane wouldhave to be turned ninety degrees to the right before itcould go forward in open water. At that point we didn'tthink about how we were going to rotate it in the mud.Perhaps the water level would be raised in the reservoirthe next day or so? I removed my boots, climbed up theladders and cowl and walked over the wing sparsinspecting the fabric for cracks, etc. The wings lookedokay, the fuselage had been converted to metal, but wedid wrap some 'high speed' cloth tape around the ver-tical fin wh(; re we found some cracks in the covering.Next, I found the oil filler and checked its level. We 'dbrought oil, three gallons filled it to the neck. Then thefuel was checked. The wings held 120 gallons and bellytanks took forty-five and seventy-five. I was glad it hadsome fuel as gas would have to be trucked in. We ran allthe quick drains we could find. We checked all the floatcompartments for water, the float fittings and rear doorhinges for tightness; the engine for bird nests and therear outside baggage for snakes. I hate snakes. I found asurvival carton of dehydrated food with a Spanish label,one 'Brzilia' kerosene lantern and a machete in a sheath.I did not reach into any other dark corners.The only thing left now was to start her up and listento her run. Only then did I think about a fire extinguisher. I like to have one when starting round engines. Agood backfire and a carb fire could ruin what was left ofour day. I carefully slipped into the left front seat(which was a board) and located the primer and electricenergizer switch for the inertia starter, along with theboast pump. After a half do ze n strokes on the primer weeach got on a float and turned the three-bladed propthrough a dozen times and I went back to the captain'schair. I hit the master, boost energizer, mags and everything else that looked impo rtant. Then I realized therewould be no fire here today.Things were really taking shape now. Bill wanted toknow how I knew the battery was dead. I didn't answer.I was saving my strength for the crank which I insertedthrough the access door in the cowl so I could handcrank the inertia. I guess the crank was on board forsentimental reasons. King Kong could not have turned

that crank. We found the huge twenty-four volt batteryunder the co-pilot's seat, got the tool sack and removedsame. We took the battery back to an FBO at Charlotte,who was just closing for the night and checked in at amotel and then the bar. It started to rai n. Good, Ithought, "maybe the water level will come up at thelake."The next morning we retrieved the charged-up battery and borrowed a fire extinguisher; then got soakedloading these items in the car the rain had notceased. Back at the Norseman site everything was thesame; high and stuck on the beach. We installed thebattery, got all the switches, valves and levers where theyshould be and had the 1340 running a few minutes later.It ran smooth, sounded good, showed normal readings,had two mags and a working propeller. I strut the thingdown. Since we were nice and wet already, we waded inthe water up over our boots and tried to move or turnthe airplane. Mind you, the floats are big and heavy, butthey can be damaged easily by pushing or lifting withthe tree limbs we were using. We left the scene and wentto a nearby tavern to seek help. Nobody around but theinnkeeper and she didn't want to accompany us. Back tothe airplaneI got to thinking about all the power that P&W had.Soon, Bill took a position behind and under the fuselagewith a rope around a tree and the right front float. That

one seemed to have a little buoyancy. I got things running and warmed up. I was about to learn somethingabout a Norseman that would int erest Springer. Thatitem is to never never have the pilot entrance door openone hundred eighty degrees against the engine cowlwhile adding power with one's upper torso out the dooropen ing so he can peer aft. What happens is that aboutthe time the prop goes through roughly twenty inches ofmanifold pressure the door comes flying shut as if Her-cules was slamming it closed never to come open againI don't know if this crushing blow on my right elbowcaused it or not, but right after that I thought I heardhollering from my assistant. I shut down and climbedout nursing my elbow. I walked back to Bill who wasnow sitting in the lake, mumbling something like : whydon't you come along down South and we will fly thisnice big airplane back?" While looking for Bill's hat wedid notice the airplane had moved a few inches. Not toobad for a day's work.The only thing to do was keep trying. We againattempted to dig some mud from around the floats withsome boards. We checked the ropes and kept the sameset-up, this time tying the right front tight to a treeninety degrees to it with Bill to take up the slack from inbetween the two. I again started up, closed the door, andeventually she came off the mud and onto the water.The battery was beginning to weaken from all the starts

Fuselage w s converted to met al sometime during 7960 s.


16/24

Fuel stop on lake t Kalamazoo MI

so after dropping the water rudders I taxied around onthe lake to charge it up and gain practice turning thething. The rain had turned to mist in the late afternoonand a fog was setting in I saw a beer sign on the far endof the lake and drove over to a dock on which stood thisfriendly looking fellow who announced he had beenlooking at that yellow airplane across there for a monthand had promised himself a ride in it before it left hislake. I informed him I never flew one of these before,do you still wish to go? Yup. When I said let's go hegrinned, put on a life jacket, and soon we started downthe lake. We were in a valley which had an enormous set

of power lines hanging over it. Somehow, over the terrific engine noise in the cabin plus the distraction of atwo-hand flap crank and step position to reckon with,his shouting and motions managed to indicate theamount of open water out there and where the fogcovered hills would start to rise in front of us.I looked out and down at the float wave as it cameforward and though I couldn't feel it, we had to be onthe step. I brought the big round wheel back and wecame unstuck right under the power lines with lots ofroom ahead to turn around at the end of the valley. Ifigured I had used 2 miles to get off. At 500 feet wewere at the cloud base. We made a few turns, crankedthe flaps and ailerons down and landed back at my co

pilot's place and tied to his dock for the night. As werelaxed at our new friend's bar, Bill asked him if heenjoyed his ride. He said ya atta wear ear plugs in thatthing.The rain had stopped by the next morning but it wasextremely hazy as the car rental agency man drove usdown to Rock Hill. Fl ight Service had said they had 3miles with haze and it should improve this A MSupposed to be good at 6,000, they said. The hills oneither side of the lake were hidden in the murk as wetaxied. I explained to Bill about how he should watchfor boats during the take-off run and hold the prop leverfull forward as the lock wouldn't hold. I crankedsome flaps down and told Bill I'd talk to him again when

15

we throttled back after take-off. Once more it took me and clear we should go back from whence we came. below. I'd been out three hours and fifteen minutes


17/24

two miles to get it flying. At five hundred feet I cameback to cruise settings and could see nothing out frontbut that huge cowl jumping around. You could only seestraight down and even that was very hazy. I wanted toget above the layer of haze so we began to climb. Attwenty-five hundred all I got was a glimpse of theground now and then. I'd already lost our position onthe map and knew there were better than 6,000-foothills up north of Charlotte. So I brought the power backon the old bear and began S-turning, looking for thatfoolish river I'd lost. We had been in the air an hournow.It was raining again when I found a bridge, dam andriver all at the same time. With both hands Bill got theflaps and ailerons down, while I made a step landing in awide stretch of the river. We d passed over some kind ofa building near the dam so we turned around and taxiedabout a mile back to where it was and saw this figuredrinking beer and waving us in. The floats hit the sandybottom twenty feet from shore so we shut down, got arope on the floats and walked through a foot of water toget there . Right about now I was wishing the airplanewould go over the dam. Two and a half days were shot.After learning we were in Hickory, North Carolina,about 80 miles from where we had taken off we phonedthe FSS . They said the weather was not going to breakas fast as they'd forecast, but if we could get to Charleston, West Virginia, we'd be in the clear and over theriver. Going cross country in a seaplane is a real problem.Seaplane bases are scarce. I knew there was one that'sman-made at Dayton, Ohio . I got the phone numberfrom my trusty guide book and had a talk with theDayton man. How much of a water runway do youhave? Four thousand feet . Do you know what aNorseman is? No. He pointed out that he'd got hisfloat rating in a Champ. He added that a Cessna 195 onfloats had come in the other day and he got out. Healso mentioned there was this power line at one end,however, it's marked with orange balls. Just what I'dexpected, I thanked the man and hung up.

We took on three hours of fuel and the nice youngfellow with the beer (I wish I could remember his name)held us in the river current with a boat until I got theengine started. We took off in the haze once again knowing we would have to go through a 6,800 foot pass. Atfour thousand we were in clouds, couldn't see anythingand with no radio and undependable gauges it was loud

Pabst Blue Ribbon was there again and after helpingus tie to the shore insisted we come with him to hishome, meet his wife and family and have supper there.His home was a lovely little ranch type layout on theside of a lush green hill and we were glad to play guitar,sing and enjoy a swell meal of corn bread, blackeyedpeas, ham and grits. Our host drove us back to a motel intown with one hand on the wheel, the other holding abeer he had a beer in his hand the entire time I knewhim . Said he would have his own marina some day andthere would always be beer in the fridge. I thought tomyself - three days gone - should have been home bynow.The next morning the weather was really sour. Fogand rain. Bill then decided he should get back home tohis business. He took a jet out of town and I went to theFSS and learned this weather pattern was going toremain stationary for at least one more day. Two dayslater I took off under a 6,000 foot broken layer. Theboys at Flight Service had asked me to fly low across theairport so they could see this Norseman. After that Iwent to 9,500 feet and headed across the hills towardKalamazoo, Michigan, where there is a seaplane base ona big lake.

By flying north for an hour and thirty minutes I gota feel for the airplane. Then I became aware that therehad been no holes down below for the past half-hour . Iwent to 10,000 feet where I could see for a hundredmiles. Everything was solid at 7,000 feet and there wasthis oil that began to appear from an access door in thefirewall. A little oil is one thing, but soon my feet weresliding in it as more and more came. The stuff beganrunning out of the front office onto the rear cabin floorand it continued until I knew for sure that a couplegallons had gone by. Another 45 minutes elapsed withno holes in the clouds so I turned around to go backwhere I'd last seen some. I fully expected that engine torun out of oil and seize right there in front of me. It wasdifficult to watch anything but the oil pressure gauge. Ireally did condition my mind that I'd have to let downthrough the clouds over this country where everythingstands on edge. If there was no water I simply had toland keeping the front end between the trees as thewings came off. If I'd had a parachute I'd have jumpedout. I could tell the owner it went over the dam anddisappeared at Hickory. I lit what I knew was my lastcigarette when I suddenly saw this hole 3,000 feet

now. Since I knew the wing tanks had been almost full Ishould have another hour besides what was in the bellytanks. I saw another hole to the southwest, went to it,saw an airport below and let down, but no water. Themap showed some water north of Knoxville so with myoily feet I steered that way and sure enough, I foundwater.I landed on this nice big lake half wishing it was toosmall to get back out of. I taxied to a sand beach, gotthe tool sack and removed all the engine cowling. got apail of gas from a drum stored on board and washed theoil out of the airplane. After the engine had cooled Ipoured ten gallons of gas on it as there was oil all over. Iwas going to clean the engine; fly it five minutes, landand find out where the oil was coming from. After soaking it with gas I thought here's another chance, it'dburn good now.While the engine was drying off I walked to a house ahalf mile away. I called the local airport and was informed their gas truck had no license tags. Knoxville, thirtymiles south, was the closest place for aviation gas. I called the Beech dealer there at Island Airport and wasinformed that if I would land in the river and taxi westto the Island Bridge in back of the airport they wouldbring a gas truck and gas me from the bridge. However,the river was narrow there.I thought good, maybe a low tree branch would tear awing off and I could jet home. I then called the IslandTower, told them of our plan and was advised to comealong and watch for a light signal. Back at the lake Ireinstalled the cowl, emptied my drum into the wings,pushed a stick into the oil filler neck - found some,andflew down to Knoxville. After that hop I thought I'dfind out where the oil leak was . I got a green light,landed, heard someone shout (with a megaphone) thatthere is a three knot current. It was a pleasure to seesomeone come with a boat to tow me to the bridge afterI got stuck in the trees.One fellow handed the hose down from the truckwhile others sat on the edge of the bridge pushingagainst the cowl with their feet t o keep the prop fromgetting damaged. The airplane was as slippery as agreased hog as it really had gotten an oil bath. But I gotthe four tanks and extra drum filled without falling inthe river. I now had 1,800 Ibs. of fuel. Only a very slightamount of oil had been lost on the last thirty mile flight.A stick showed a good amount of oil in the tank so I

16

figured the 23 ga llons I had in it at the start was just too rear door, intending to climb down with some rope


18/24

much. t just plain coughed out about three gallons as itheated and foamed up. Later I learned 16 gallons isplenty, but I never did find the dip stick.I paid the good people, got towed out into the mainstream with tile boat and taxied down a mile for take-off. I saw a green light from the tower and hoped thatany boater tearing around the bend in the river from thesouth would have good brakes because I was going to beright at the corner at lift off. I got off and headed north,hoping to make Lake Michigan before dark; perhapseven Meigs at Chicago. An hour later Lexington went by,then Cincinnati and finally I was out of those blastedhills and a man can see where he is going. What I saw waslots of black in the north and Dayton had their lights onas I pounded on by.Midway between Dayton and Fort Wayne is a littletown called Celma. Next to it is a large lake or flowage.t was raining now, getting dark, and a good south windwas at work. I could see white caps on the water as Icircled low over the town and lake looking for wires. Isaw this building with a beer and food sign and on whoseroof was the word motel. Next to it was a sea wall andmanmade breakwater. Just what old Fred ordered. Icame in low and slow on the heels with everything backin my lap. This water was not deep and stumps could beanywhere, so I wanted to stop 'quick'. I did, turned, andheaded for the breakwater openi ng with the wind push-ing hard on my back. I watched the waves roll into theharbor, hitting against the concrete wall where I wouldhave to go. I decided not to sail in backwards without anobserver on the back end somewhere.Even at a very slow idle something as big as this air-plane gets moving pretty good in a big wind. I shut downat the harbor entrance moving much faster than I wouldhave liked . The big ox started to turn 180 degrees intothe wind. I went to the rear of the cabin, grabbed thepaddle and was out through the right rear door and ontoa float in three seconds. I would have had as muchsuccess trying to paddle the Queen Mary. But suddenlysome kind soul called out from the crowd that hadgathered on the wall saying if I wanted some tires he hadtwo in the trunJ of his car. I said, yes sir, get' em. Fivepeople caught the tail as it came in over the wall. Thetires appeared as the airplane swung parallel to the walland the floats slammed against them. I was parked. Mynerves were shot and I was tired from the day's events. Iwent to the cockpit, tied the yoke , and came back to the

when I slipped on the top rung of the oily ladder andlanded on my right knee right on the edge of theconcrete wall four feet below. The lights went out.As I started to come to I was aware of how good thecold wet concrete felt. Someone had put a jacket undermy head. From somewhere came a thought maybe myfeet are not big enough for this airplane. I also reacheddown with my sore right arm and felt a big tear in mytrousers. I discovered the same size tear in my rightknee. I wanted to cry but instead I found myself listen-

ing to this voice saying you can't land on this lake,and, I would like to see yours and the airplane'spapers. The voice's owner was wearing a cap and jacketwith stars pinned on each. He then went to his car andpicked up a radio mike.My leg was really hurting as I tried to help some folkstie the float struts to the wall. I don't believe the officerknew I had hurt myself until I came dragging over to hisfter rebuild and assembly a crane lowers airplane onto floats

Huge Norseman wing ready for new cover

7

th is trip. As I flew by some of the tallest and newest


19/24

I

Norseman owner Richard Scribner Pontiac MI.car with my bleeding leg. I opened the door, sat downand announced that "right now and in this order" I wasgoing to that motel, right there, get a room, get mybloody wet clothes changed, get a doctor to sew up myknee, come back to th is restaurant, eat and then proceedto drink all the beer in the place. "And after that if youwant to come and get me, I'll give up." Then I added, ifyou would i ke to have an airplane you can have thatyellow one, free " He asked if I wished to go to adoctor. I told him I could manage okay. He said "I'll beback about 8 o'clock."During the next couple of hours I accomplished allthe things I told the officer I would do. He showed up at8:00 in the restaurant. I had brought in the airplanepapers and ferry permit. For the first time in the twentyyears I've had one, I was asked to produce my pilot'slicense and medical certificate. It turned out the officerwas an ex-military pilot and knew about such things.Next I got a lecture about how dangerous it was to landon this lake with all the stumps out there. Furthermorethe lake was restricted to seaplanes and I had violatedthat code. The city fathers had even called the policestation to find out what was going on out there withthat airplane. The officer was really a ni e guy. After

hearing my adventures of the past few days and mypromise to remove myself and that float plane in themorning come hell or low water he decided to forget thewhole thing. I put my aching bones to bed.Four days now.At dawn there was no more than a 300 foot ceilingwith rain. I untied the Norseman, kicked it with my leftfoot, checked the oil and quick drains, and dragged it tothe mouth of the harbor. I tied it to a post there, startedit and let it run for 20 minutes. It was cold out. It wastoo early for most folks to be up but I knew they wouldbe soon, as I had to take off right over the town. I triedto hold back a grin .The floats of an airplane leave a track in the water forsome time, same as a boat . I taxied way across the lake,dodging stumps. On the take-off run one can follow histrack on the water which I did. I flew at 200 feet watching for towers and finally broke out in the clear rightover the Goshen, Indiana Airport (all I needednow wasto be reported for flying too low).Believe it or not the balance of the trip was made ingood weather with no further problems as I poundedacross the lower end of Lake Michigan right up to MeigsField 50 feet off the water. I had to have some fun on

buildings in the world on the Chicago lakefrontthought about the mud huts this old airplane probablycast its shadow on over the Amazon or wherever else itwent. Two hours later we were on Lake Winnebago atOshkosh. Four days enroute, fourteen hours flying timeand just under 500 gallons of fuel to fly a thousand miletripI didn t intend to tell a hairy story here. As it happened, I encountered bad weather. Being alone to manhandle the airplane on the water did not help. I knowthe Norseman is not a big airplane to the transport pilot.I is an easy airplane to fly once you get it in the air andit would be fun to have up north where you can findseaplane bases made for equipment like this. willprobably never get a chance to fly one again.I have not checked, however, there may be as few as30 or 40 of these models flying at this point in time.Aside from the DC-3's, Beech 18's and a handful ofLockheed 10's and 12's the Norseman is about the onlyother "antique" airplane operating commercially today.I wonder how many readers have even seen a Norsemanon floats other than while on a Canadian or Alaskanhunting or fishing trip. This airplane could cease to existin my time. It's a lot of airplane for the average antiquerto buy, rebuild and fly.My adventure took place in 1973. During '74 and '75the airplane was disassembled, inspected and serviced.All fabric surfaces were recovered with Ceconite. Thehuge wood spars were sanded and varnished. Many partswere replaced: glass, instruments, cables, etc. The overallairplane was still in remarkably good condition aftermore than thirty years of service. The Edo 7170 floatswere cleaned up and painted. The finish paint colors arered, white and yellow. Dick took the airplane over to alake near Pontiac this past summer.

For my part, I ll have to oe content now and then tolook at the lantern, I removed from the baggagecompartment, which is hanging in my home. I like toguess about all the places it and the Norseman visited.It is quite a seaplane . ~ : ~8

Article and photos by:David Gustafson, Editor


20/24

7 Bud rubs in the 2 25. .3 5wirllines are evident .

(Note: This will be the first in a series of Tips. If you vegot any secret methods or tools for refurbishing aircraftmaterials please share them with us. Photos or diagramswill help a lot.)Bud Labutski (548 W. Chestnut, Burlington, WI53105) has pretty much traded in h is free time optionsto lead the restoration work on the EAA s B-25J. Bud sdedication, and that of his fellow volunteers, hascontributed to the steady progress on the project and hisexperiments to restore the finish of the bomber haveproduced some glittering results .Granted, shining up the thick hide of a B-25J won tbe a very common event in the Antique/Classic world,

but the technique may work nicely on something madeof thinner stuff, say a Swift for example. Naturally, youshou ldn t attempt any method on a large scale withoutsome ex perimentation in a small remote area.Bud s process on the B-25 J started after he d strippedoff four to seven coats of paint. He was left with a dullsurface of aluminum oxide, broken only by occasionalislands of corrosion that were easily identified by.chromate primer which wouldn t come off.

To penetrate the dullness, Bud starts with a lib eralhand ap plication of Dupont s 202S (orange) LacquerRubb ing Com pound . Th e paste is aggressively rubbedover the entire surface and into seams and the spacesbetween rivets. Let it dry thoroughly, then take an autobody buffer with a sheep s wool polishing disc and applythe disc at a sharp angle. Flatten the pad when passingdown a row of rivets or a seam. Keep it moving or you llburn the alu minum . It may be necessary to make acouple passes, but it won t take long to get some shinyresults. Now buff again with a clean pad, make sure thatall th e 202 is off, th en rub on 303S (orange) MachinePolishing Compound, which is a finer grit. Again, you l lneed two pads and several passes. The final pudding isnumber 101 S (whi te Rubbing Compound. Remove thefirst coat with your auto buffer and take off any subseq uent coats with a twin disc buffer which will removethe swirl marks left from the larger discs.No, you will not have factory new surfaces, but if theskin wasn t deeply gouged in the first place, it ll lookremark ably decent in the end. Ce rtainly, everyone who sseeri the work on the B-25 has been pleasantlysurprised, including hard workers like Cletus Ehler, JohnGadeikis, Jon Lawrence, Andy McClelland, Andy Gelston, and Bill Pau I

2 And buffs the dried compound4 But someday soon

EAA has received numerous requests fro m various


21/24

WHISTLING IN THE RIGGINGy Tom Poberezny

Each year the Experimental Aircraft Association hasgrown, both in size and in stature. EAA has become therecognized and respected leader of the sport aviationcommunity. An important part of the EAA growth hasbeen its divisions . . . the Antique/Classic, Warbirds of America and the International Aerobatic Club.EAA Headquarters has worked closely with divisionleadership in providing the services necessary for soundgrowth . For example, EAA handles memberships, inquiries and purchasing for the Antique/Classic Division. Theexpertise of our Headquarters staff allows your Board toconcentrate on matters ofpolicy as well as taking advantage of the sources of supply we have developed over 25years of experience.Dave Gustafson has been added to our staff so thateach division has a direct contact at Headquarters whocan work with them in solving problems. In additio nDave will be assuming the important position of Editorof the VINTAGE AIRPLANE Magazine. We are strivingto provide and insure stability and planned growth foreach division so that as leadership changes, continuityremains.Not only have the divisions provided tremendous support at the ann ual EAA convention, but they also workclosely with EAA in dealing with government. Manytimes EAA has been asked by FAA to provide inputconcerning regulations and programs. The specializedexpertise of the divisions allows us to provide accurateinformation on questions that relate to their area of interest. This self-policing approach is most important inour continuing efforts to protect our rights to fly . . .both safely and economically.

organizations within the sport aviation community,asking for divisional status. Your EAA Board ofDirectors has given these requests serious considerationand have decided thatexpanding the number of divisionswould not be possible at this time. Expansion wouldgreatly tax our available manpower and would only serveto dilute the services that we are capable of providing.This situation will be reviewed again in the future.; : ;

....................:.;.;:::>::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:::::::=:;.;..

Dear Mr . Kelch,Your October 1977 number is the finest. I have hadthe pleasure of reading about the Old Johnson Monoplane. You appreciate fine mechanical work and knowwhat you are writing about - too bad that a ll theJohnson family is dead . They never had proper recognition.I witnessed most of the flights made at or near TerreHaute - buthad nothing to do with the building of theplane - nor the motor used in it.I married the sister of the Johnson Brothers in 1910and moved to the country not far from where the 1911to 1913 flights were made.I was a good friend of Ross L. Smith (Smitty) and lastsaw him in 1933 where he was a reporter on the Wash-ington Post.I hel ped the Brothers start the Motor Wheel Companyat South Bend and later the OB Motors - both Harry

continued nex t page

t e YELLOW J-3 CUB. SE 7 ': , ' I I SE '

PLANE CHECKSANEW WAYTO IDENTIFY WITH "YOURTHING"

RegularbankchecksemblazonedwithaflyingyellowJ 3 CubICompletethe order form and writeout your check. I\ow,get adeposit sl ip from the same account, and clearly indicate anychanges or othernotationsas youwish it to appearon thechecks.(Thesetwodocumentswillfurnish usall thedataweneed tomakeyour checks compatiblewith your bank's computer, and Amer.Bank Ass 'n specs . On giftorders, send yourcheckand mark hischeckVOlD. Please allow3weeks fordelivery.

StartUsingPlaneChecks Now!Youroldcheckswillalwaysbegood.

IdentityCheckCo. Box1490 ParkRidge, III.60068"Activate"my orderforPlaneChecks,starting No._____03 00$7.50 0 600$12.75 0 900 -$17.75Plane Chec k.s are top o u n d o n e part deposit slips and registers are .ncluded n each order.__ Checkbook cover$.50 $o YellowJ-3 Cubn PIPER Assortment n BeeCH Assortment o NORTHCENTRALDC9o Cherokee o Sundowner o CONTINENTAL DC l0

D Arrow l V Bonanza o HELICOPTER IBELLItJ Seneca rJ Baron- [] P51 MUSTANG

[] BREEZY' U CURTISSJENNY' rl NATIONALDCl 0n CESSN ssortment o TWA L-1011 o AMERICANDC l0 nHawk [J PSA 727 U EASTERN L l0 l ln 210 Centurion l BD5 [] WESTERNDC-l0 0 310 U MOONEY[] PITTSSPECIAL' U UNITEDDC l0

Pl eo e allow 10 extra days to process the5e che cks.

Allcheckbackgrounds are blue (exceptJ 3 Cub)Shipvia 0 UPS (insured) 0 ParcelPost 0 WESTCOASTaddonedollar - we'll fly it!ShipTo _AddressCity State Zip _

2C

Johnson and I retired in 1935 and Harry was my closestneighbor here on the farm until his death.
http:///reader/full/0300%E7%A4%B7.50http:///reader/full/0300%E7%A4%B7.50http:///reader/full/0300%E7%A4%B7.50http:///reader/full/0300%E7%A4%B7.50http:///reader/full/600%E7%A4%B12.75http:///reader/full/900-$17.75http:///reader/full/900-$17.75http:///reader/full/900-$17.75http:///reader/full/0300%E7%A4%B7.50http:///reader/full/600%E7%A4%B12.75http:///reader/full/900-$17.75


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I do have a lot of old Johnson printed matter clippings, magazines, photographs, slides, etc., so if youwant to ask any questions about the early plane - thatmay not be too clear to you, just fire away and I will trymy best to help you .Sihcere ly,Warren M. ConoverRoute 1 Box 108Culver, IN 4651 1

Dear Mr. Kelch,Th ank you very mu ch for the coverage of the JohnsonBrothers aircraft in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. To devote an ent ire issue to one subject seems to me to be avery good idea.Sh a ll prize it very much. On e thing I miss is a cutaway drawing such as the one of the EAA Biplane in the1965 copy of the Light Plane Guide published bySuperio r Publications, 14 West Superior Street, Duluth2, MN , at that time.Understand Headquarters has a copy of, OF MONOCOUPES MEN by Underwood. Enclosed please findcheck for $10.00 to cover purchase of copy of thisbook. Whatever's left goes to the museum .Is there any information available on the HuntingtonH.12 - Motorcycle engined monoplane as published in1919 in aerial age mag? Th e article is by Wes Farmer.Mr. Dwi ght Huntington was a draftsman during WorldWar I at the Curtiss Plant in Bu ffalo, New York (in LightPlane Guide).Sincerely,Alb ert Neumann1350 Davine Dri veGlendale Heights, IL 60137

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Fairchild 77 uilt in 7928Dear Paul ,I thought I would drop you a line and let you knowthat I saw the Spirit of St. Louis on TV last week flyingover Chicago. You were doing the talk ing in the show.

You mentioned in your letter that you will have aStinson SM8A for a chase plane. That brought ol dmemories back, I flew one of those high wing Stinson's alot in the 30's and 40's, but I don't remember for sure ifit was a SM8A or a 7A. The man that owned it had a450 hp Wright hung on the nose of it, but I guess itoriginally came out with a 220 hp engine. The bushpilots in these mountain areas hung big engi nes on thoseold airplanes to be able to operate in short and highaltitude fie ld s.I recall this Stinson was pretty nose heavy when youwere flying it without a load . You didn't dare get on thebrakes very hard when landing.I am sending you a picture of a Fairchild 71 that Iused to own when I was in the bush flying business.It was a 7-place, with the pilot sitting up front alongand with a stick, same as the B1 Ryan was. The rudderpedals were located so your feet hung straight downwhen flying it. I could haul up to a ton of freight in it.

Sincerely ,Tom Ki iskilaBox 352Profino, 10 83544

: L A I - = I ~ )A )

ADVERTISING CLOSING DATE: 10TH OF THE SECOND MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION DATE.(THAT IS: MARCl;f 10TH IS CLOSING DATE FORMAY ISSUE) CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATE: Regular type per word 35c. Bold face type: per word40c. ALL CAPS: per word 45c. (Minimum charge$5.00). (Rate covers one insertion one issue).CASH WITH ORDER

Address advertising correspO,ndence to ADVERTISINGMANAGER, THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE, Box 229,Ha les Corners, WI 53130.Make all checks or money orders payable to EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION.1936 J-2 CUB 90% restored. New Piper cowlings, newribs and spars, seats, tires, brakes. Plane is unassembled.Highest offer over $4,000. Bud Huff, 623 Western Avenue, Anehime, CA 90820MOO N E Y M1 8 series service instruction manual.Includes aircraft specifications, equipment lists, rigginginformation, parts list with drawings. $15.00 pd stpaid.Flite-Comm Electronics, 3605 E. Spring Street, LongBeach, CA 90806E RCOUPE 415-C service manual. Includes aircraftspee i fi cations, equipment list, rigging information,inspection procedures, drawings and repair instructions.$15.00 postpaid. Flite-Comm Electronics, 3605 E.Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90806AERONCAS - How to buy, rebuild, operate. Freedetails, send stamped addressed envelope. Aeronca Club,14100 Lake Candlewood Court, Miami Lakes, FL 33014MISe. FOR SALEAntique aircraft wind generator. Streamlined. Britishmanufacture - $150.00. e. Seaborn, R.R. No.9, Calgary,Alberta T2J 5G5.COMPLETE SET OF THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE forsale. Issue one to the present. John Eney, 115 S. 8thStreet, Quakerstown, PA 18951. Phone 215/441-2591days.

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vintage airplane - mar 1978

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