FEBRUARY 2001

TheMagazilleothe E middotA middotA middot VINTAGE AIRC RAFf ASSOCIATIoN

STRAIGHT AND LEVEUButch]oyce

2 VAA NEWS

4 DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH Hiller Museum

9 HIBERNATION BillAllen

12 PASS IT TO BUCK Buck Hilbert

15 KEEPING THE FAMILY WIDGEON

H G Frautschy

20 NEW WIDGEON HG Frautschy

25 WHAT OUR MEMEBERS ARE RESTORING

H G Frautschy

26 MYSTERY PLANE HG Frautschy

28 CALENDAR

30 CLASSIFIEDS

wwwvintageaircraftorg

Publisher TOM POBEREZNY

Editor-ill-Chief scon SPANGLER

Executive Director Editor HENRY G FRAUTSCHY

VAA Administrative Assistallt THERESA BOOKS

Executive Editor MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributillg Editors JOHN UNDERWOOD BUDD DAVISSON

ArtPhoto Layout BETH BLANCK

Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS

MARK SCHAIBLE

AdvertisillglEditorial Assistalll ISABELLE WISKE

SEE PAGE 32 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

STRAIGHT AND LEVEUButch]oyce

2 VAA NEWS

4 DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH Hiller Museum

9 HIBERNATION BillAllen

12 PASS IT TO BUCK Buck Hilbert

15 KEEPING THE FAMILY WIDGEON

H G Frautschy

20 NEW WIDGEON HG Frautschy

25 WHAT OUR MEMEBERS ARE RESTORING

H G Frautschy

26 MYSTERY PLANE HG Frautschy

28 CALENDAR

30 CLASSIFIEDS

wwwvintageaircraftorg

Publisher TOM POBEREZNY

Editor-ill-Chief scon SPANGLER

Executive Director Editor HENRY G FRAUTSCHY

VAA Administrative Assistallt THERESA BOOKS

Executive Editor MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributillg Editors JOHN UNDERWOOD BUDD DAVISSON

ArtPhoto Layout BETH BLANCK

Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS

MARK SCHAIBLE

AdvertisillglEditorial Assistalll ISABELLE WISKE

SEE PAGE 32 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

ST EL by ESPIE BUTCH JOYCE

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAR ASSOCIATION

For years Ive kept an eye on the Beech 18 since its long been one of my favorite airplanes Id love to own one but like many of you if I want one of those Id have to give up my other going places II airplane my Beech Baron I really like my Baron-Ive flown Windy for nearly 1400 hours and enjoy it very much Fortushynately as Ive kept an eye on the market for the bigger Beechcraft Ive been able to point others to some of these great airplanes Its always fun to see people realize their dream of owning a particular airplane knowing it has been one of their goals

Dreaming of a Beech 18 in my hangar has given me more than one sleepless night and seeing Mike Greenshyblatts Beechcraft in last months issue of Vintage Airplane brought those feelings bubbling back up to the surface I saw Mike at the Beech gathering that takes place in Tullahoma Tennessee each year His family enjoys the aircraft as much as he does I can remember seeing this Beech when he first showed up at Tullashyhoma Its really come a long way I believe there were 24 Twin Beeches at this years gathering For more inshyformation on the Beech 18 contact the Twin Beech Society They were included in last months listing of type clubs and you can access this same list on our website at vintageaircraftorg

One of the big factors in the popularity of certain airshyplanes is a strong network of ownersoperators The type clubs who have strong leadership and competent technical gUidance seem to do the best Having support from the manufacturer or a third party parts maker with a PMA doesnt hurt either When I owned a 1953 035 Beech in the mid-1980s I needed a spinner for the Beech prop and I was able to buy a new one from Beechcraft Certainly a popular airplane like the Cessna 120140 also has a lot of great people to draw from their ranks to make a great club but the bottom line is that its the dedication by the type club volunshyteers that makes it work so well for the person whos just starting out

As a part of the EAA family your VAA is also a great asset to those who love these old airplanes With EAAs international reputation and resources we are able to make certain our voices are heard when the need arises

One of the EAA headquarters staff who has been a great deal of help has been Earl Lawrence vice presishydent of Government Programs Earl and his staff including Randy Hansen Timm Bogenhagen Kerryn Laumer and Kathy Phillip are on top of many governshyment issues at one time and a number of items that concern us directly are on their plate At this time fuel programs and aging aircraft issues are two areas that impact vintage airplane owners and we can thank our close association with EAA for keeping it in the foreshyfront As we add to our total membership well have even more credibility with the FAA

Increasing our membership is one way you can dishyrectly impact our ability to support EAA in their efforts to work on our behalf Each new V AA member you bring into the fold is also an EAA member and as a part of a group of over 170000 members strong the policy and rule makers will hear our voices

Were always open to your comments and suggestions regarding the operation of your V AA and your magazine Vintage Airplane We also welcome your article submisshysions (particularly technical how-to articles) to be used in Vintage Airplane If youre a V AA Chapter newsletter editor please be sure to mail a copy of your publication to HG Frautschy our editor

Many of you may have noticed that Steve Krog one of your V AA directors is now heading up the Luscombe Asshysociation and the Cub Club For more years than I can remember John Bergeson and his wife Alice were the powers behind these two type clubs After John retired he put even more effort in these clubs John and Alice have decided to enjoy other aspects of life and have handed the reins over to Steve and his wife Sharon John is a great guy a promoter of aviation a gentleman and a good friend Your input will be missed but I still look forward to seeing you at future EAA AirVenture Oshkosh events John

I came home the other day and the yard was full of robins Spring cannot be far off I guess I had better get busy and finish the annual inspections on the Baron and Luscombe so we can go find our $100 hot dogs Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Reshymember we are better together Join us and have it all

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

VAANEWS compiled by HG Frautschy

FURTHER WORD ON

AERONCA AD

The final version of the FAAs Airworthiness Directive (AD) conshycerning spar inspections on Aeronca and Champion airplanes has resultshyed in a number of comments and questions regarding the inspection methods Group 1 airplanes are these Aeronca models 7 AC 7ACA S7AC 7BCM (L-16A) 7CCM (Lshy16BA) S7CCM 7DC S7DC 7EC

COVERS FRONT COVERThe Grumman

Widgeon was ordered in quantity by the US Coast Guard to help defend the home shores and rescue people at sea during World War II This particular example was restored by Merrill Wien and is now owned and flown by his son Kurt Wien EAA photo by Mark Schaible shot with aCanon EOS1n equipped with an 80-200 mm lens on 100 ASA Fuji slide film EM Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore

BACK COVER Last Tango is the title of this impressive oil on linen painting by Michael ONeal 3 Woodland Av North Brunswick New Jersey 08902 Specializing in paintings of the pioneer era through World War I his art graces the collections of many private galleries and the group historians office at Langley Air Force Base His paintings have also appeared in Over the Front the jourshyna of the League of WWI Aviation Historians

Last Tango depicts the final fl ight and fight of Maj Lanoe Hawker VC against an opposhynent who would become a legend in his own time before falling after his 80th victoryshyBaron Manfred Von RichthofenHawker flying the outclassed de Havilland DH-2 was Englands most famous ace by the time Richthofen pursued him in a descending series of spirals behind German lines near Bapaume France Only after dropping in tight circles nearly to ground level was the Red Baron able to bring his guns to bear on the Englishman as he made a break back toward his own lines Hawkers death on November 231916would be the Barons 11 th victory

2 FEBRUARY 2001

S7EC 7FC 7)C llAC SllAC llBC SllBC llCC and SllCC airshyplanes These airplanes have engines that are 90 hp and lower (includes 60- to 90-horsepower engines) You must repetitively inspect airplanes that are modified with engines greater than 90 horsepower To furshyther clarify the FAAs requirements for Group 1 airplanes remember that this is a one-time inspection Only if the airplane wing is damshyaged subsequent to the inspection is a reinspection required within 10 days of the incidentaccident

Further reading of the AD reveals that the FAA does not require you to install access panels on the top of the wing The AD requires the proceshydure be Accomplish[edJ in accordance with the instructions in ACAC Service Letter No 406 Revision A dated May 6 1998 This service bulletin specifies as an FAA-approved inspection option using a high-intensity flexible light (eg Bend-A-Light) A regular flashlight must not be used for this portion of the inspection Alternative FAA-approved inspection options are listed in this sershyvice bulletin II

The ACA service letter states that IIadditional inspection holes may be necessary to do a thorough inspection II

Note that in any case a complete and thorough inspection of the entire length of the spar is required including the spar butt end If only the minimal number of inspection holes needed to install and rig the wings and controls are installed it would be impossible to adequately inspect the spar in accordance with the AD and inspection procedures

In addition to ACA service letter 417 which details the installation of inspection holespanels in the wing weve been advised of a supplemenshytal type certificated set of upper wing inspection covers made availshyable by Rainbow Flying Service 3788 Municipal Airport Road Moses Lake Washington 98837-9137

Write to them for more details Along with the procedures shown

on the Citabria Owners Group webshysite at wwwcitabriacom Im sure other resourceful mechanics and owners will come up with an inspecshytion method that will meet with the FAAs approval

Wed also like to acknowledge the huge effort expended by the leaders and members of the National Aeronca Club After a mass mailing to all registered owners the NAA task force created a comprehensive response to the proposed AD which gave the association and its memshybers concrete information that could be used by the FAA to modify the original AD The split of the affected groups of airplanes is a direct result of comments made by NAA memshybers and many others to the FAA during the review process In many ways this AD while still generating comments concerning its necessity is a good example of how the FAA Vintage Aircraft Association EAA Government Programs office and type clubs can work together to creshyate an acceptable solution to a techshynical problem concerning our vinshytage airplanes

C E S SNA CONT R OL Y O KE

P ROPOSED AD

98-CE-5 7 -AD would affect Cessna Aircraft Company models 150 172 175 180 182 185 206 210 and 336 series airplanes The proposed AD would affect those airplanes equipped with 0513166 series plastic control wheels The proposed AD would require you to repetitively inspect these wheels for cracks conshyduct a pull test on these wheels and replace any control wheels that are cracked or that do not pass the pull test Replacement of the control wheels would be with ones that are FAA-approved and are not 0513166 series plastic control wheels The proposed AD is the result of many

incidents of control wheels cracking or breaking on the above-referenced airplanes The comment period for this proposed AD will end on April 42001

You can review the complete text of the proposed AD at www vintageaircraftorg Click on the Vintage News link for the comshyplete text of the proposed AD

NOMINATIONS FOR EAA DIRECTORS

Pursuant to the directive conshytained in the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc Bylaws as amendshyed the President has appointed six members in good standing to act as the Nominating Committee to receive nominations for Class III Directors (three-year terms) to replace those Class III Directors whose terms expire during 2001 and for a Class IV Director (three-year term) to replace the Class IV Director whose term expires during 2001 Such nominations shall be sent to the Committee in accorshydance with the procedures described below and if insufficient nominashytions are received the Committee shall make additional nominations of its own

The Committee appointed conshysists of Ron Scott Chairman N8708 Sky Lane Rt I East Troy

WI 53120 lonnie Fritsche W6305 Peninsula Court Neshkoro WI 54960 Robert D Lumley 1265 S 124th Street Brookfield WI 53005 Ray Stits 7340 Live Oak Drive Riverside CA 92509 Don Taylor 6109 Copper Rose NE Albuquerque NM 87111 and Harry leisloft 2787 Leisure World Mesa Al85206

Nominations for EAA Directors

In accordance with the Associations Bylaws the terms of five Class III Directors and one Class IV Director as listed below will expire at the 2001 Annual Business Meeting held in Oshkosh Wisconsin and successors to these Directors will be elected at that meeting Such Directors may sucshyceed themselves

Class III Directors Susan Dusenbury William Eickhoff

Robert Gyllenswan Leonard McGinty

Vern Raburn Class IV Director

Louis Andrew J r According to the EAA Restated

Articles of Incorporation the Class IV Director must reside within fifty (50) miles of the location of the Convention (Oshkosh Wisconsin)

Nomination for these positions shall be made on official nominashytion forms obtainable from the Headquarters of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc co Judy Reader PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 or bye-mailing jreader eaaorg

The nomination petition shall include a recent photo of the candishydate and contain a brief resume of his or her background and experishyence Each Candidate m ust have been an EAA member for the previous three consecutive years Each petition requires a minimum of twenty-five (25) signatures of EAA members in good standing with their EAA number

and expiration date Nomination petitions must be

submitted to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee Ron Scott co EAA Headquarters PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 no later than March I 2001

Voting instructions and proceshydures will be published in a forthshycoming issue of EAA Sport Aviation

Alan Shackleton Secretary Experimental Aircraft Association

Inc The Annual Business Meeting and

Election will be held at the Theater in the Woods at 130 pm CDT on Sunday July 29 2001 at Wittman Airport Oshkosh Wisconsin during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh to be held July 24 through July 30 2001

EAA PROJECT SEEKS OX-S

PARTS

EAAs Swallow biplane (below) is in the early stages of restoration and its lead mechanic Gary Buettner is looking for some items EAA needs to complete the project Built in 1928 the Swallow uses an OX-5 engine and EAAs Swallow has most of the Miller valve gear parts but it needs various parts of the valve train including springs and keepers the water manifold and the magneto drive cover Any OX-5 parts would be appreCiated as would be old instruments either sershyviceable or in need of restoration We also need general information about the Swallow and EAAs New Swallow Anything you have to offer this project would be appreCiated Gary says EAA Aviation Foun shydation Collections Manager Ron Twellman is the point of contact at 920426-5917 or rtweiimaneaaOIg

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

A homebuilt pioneer-era aircraft is restored by the Hiller Aviation Museum Contributed by the Hiller Aviation Museum

Dominguez Hills Los Angeles California January 1912

A homebuilt Curtiss-type aeroshyplane christened the Diamond was entered with much controversy in the third and last air meet to be held at Dominguez Hills California Many of the entrants did not want to comshypete with an unknown pilot particularly one flying an amateurshybuilt aeroplane But more reasonable voices prevailed and Weldon B Cooke having qualified for his flying certificate (95) in Oakland Califorshynia just one week previously was allowed to participate as the pilot of the Diamond The owners and builders of the aeroplane must have realized however that they were outclassed in both speed and maneushyverability and perhaps even the experience of the pilot so they elected to concentrate on two areas of performance altitude and enshydurance Those two events offered

4 FEBRUARY 2001

some of the highest prize money Eleven days of flying saw Weldon

B Cooke triumphantly fly the Diashymond to an altitude of 5600 feet the record for the meet He also clocked over 18 hours of total flying time to claim the endurance prize The air meet rules allowed two hours of flying each day of the II-day meet for a maximum accumulative total of 22 hours By the end of the air meet the Diamond flown by Welshydon B Cooke had c laimed over $7000 in prize money

Pittsburg California 1910-1911

The Diamond began to take shape just over one year before the 1912 air meet Lan P Maupin a dredge capshytain on the Sacramento River and Bernard P Lanteri owner and operashytor of a shipyard in Pittsburg California became intrigued with the idea of flight Public interest in

avia tion was running high as aeroshyplanes were just beginning to appear in the skies over Northern California and many articles were being pubshylished in newspapers and periodicals of the time

The actual dates of the construcshytion are not precisely known but a short article in the Ant ioch Press stated that an aeroplane being built by t wo loca l men Lanteri and Maupin should be ready to fly by midsummer (1911) The aeroplane they built was then known as a Curshytiss-Type and the machine they built followed the design and dimenshysions of the New Curtiss Bishyplane-General Arrangement and Construction Details as published in AERONAUTICS a 1910 periodical That is with one exception An origishynal photograph of the completed plane dated 1910 shows that the builders of the Diamond perhaps beshy

The restoration of the Diamond took place in the shops of the Hiller Aviation Museum Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

cause they were both boatshymen elected to put the wing fabric on the under surface of the wings rather than on the upper surface Their inishytial attempts to fly the plane must have proved this to be a bad decision for the fabric was soon removed and reinshystalled on the top of the wings According to the date on the photograph the Diashymond was actually completed in 1910 so pershyhaps the referral in the Antioch Press to the compleshytion of the aerop lane and the upcoming flight in midsummer of 1911 was due to this change in the wing fabric In addition that same photograph shows the ailerons mounted between the leading edges of the wings just as the 1910 Curtiss construction drawings call for but all other photographs of the Diashymond show the ailerons on the trailing edge just as Curtiss began doing in 1911

A budding young aviator Weldon B Cooke had become interested in aviation in 1910 and had built and was flying a Montgomery-type glider This type of glider like many other flying machines of the time used a combination of wing warping and weight shifting for control The designer John Montgomery was a professor of physics at Santa Clara University and had been experishymenting with gliders since 1884 Montgomerys gliders had a very successful record including flights released from manned balloons flyshying as high as 4000 feet Cooke had made several short hops with his glider when he heard of an aeroshyplane under construction in Black Diamond (now known as Pittsburg) California by Maupin and Lanteri

He visited the two men to conshyvince them to let him try his hand at

flying their aeroplane Maupin and Lanteri gave him the chance and Cooke proceeding cautiously by taxiing back and forth across the field for several days eventually got it into the air He flew the machine so well that he was invited to beshycome the aviator of the Diamond

By September 201911 he had gained enough confidence to make a flight of two miles over the city and the next day he made a flight of 14 miles October 6 and 7 saw his first public exhibi tion at Walnut Creek California and on October 12 he flew over Oakland California durshying a Co lumbus Day celebration During a flight from nearby Alameda he made a landing at Lake Merritt that ended in the lake but the slight damage was soon repaired and both Weldon and the Diamond were back in the air the next day The first week of December saw him doing exhibition flying at the Stockshyton Fair making flights to 3000 feet that lasted over one hour Following this exhibition he flew to Lockeford California to visit his grandmother and returned to Stockton the next day On December 19 he made a very unusual flight flying over Oakshyland dropping a letter to his brother at the University of California at Berkeley and then continuing on to

Mount Tamalpais He circled Mount Tam at an altitude of 5000 feet and returned to Alameda A very daring flight for a novice aviator in a homeshybuilt aeroplane

December 31 1911 and January 11912 found Cooke and the Diashymond in Santa Rosa California for more exhibition flying This was folshylowed by preparations for the entry of the aeroplane in the Southern California air meet to be held Janushyary 20-28 At the end of the Dominguez meet less than six months after Weldon B Cooke beshygan flying the Diamond it was dismantled crated and shipped back to Pittsburg California It would never again be flown The Dishyamond remained stored at the shipyard until the widow of Lanteri (Lanteri had been killed in a boating accident) asked Lan Maupin who now resided in Yuba County Calishyfornia if he would like the remains of the aeroplane It was then shipped to his ranch in Tudor California where it remain ed in a barn until 1930

Yuba County California 1930

Yuba County was in the process of preparing for the Sacramento Valshyley Land Show to be held September 23-28 1930 when it was decided to

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

1

The Diamond as it appeared at the Dominguez Hills air meet before the air meet at Dominguez Hills - you can see the ailerons still installed on the interplane struts between the wings Also of note is the forward elevator control Look at the top surface of the elevator and projecting from it is a long control horn The elevator pushpull rod most likely made of wood runs aft to its attachment to the back of the control wheelCourtesy of EAA Archives

feature the Diamond as one of sevshyeral aviation displays Arrangements were made with Marysville Union High School which had a very acshytive aeronautics program to reassemble the aeroplane As best as can be determined they had only two to three weeks to make the plane presentable Under the guidance of Lan Maupin and with a lot of hard work by the students and their teachers the aeroplane once more took shape It is apparent from phoshytographs that many parts had to be newly constructed for the landing gear was different and the forward elevator (canard) had shorter intershyplane struts A later examination also showed that each outer wing panel was rebuilt three feet shorter than the original and the reconshystructed wing spars were made of redwood The wings may have been shortened intentionally for the plane was used in the opening day parade which may have required

6 FEBRUARY 2001

the shorter wing The original wingspan including the ailerons that extended four feet beyond the wingtips was 40 feet while the aeroshyplane displayed in Marysville had a wingspan of only 34 feet But the students and their teachers did what they could with what they had and the plane was put on display

Oakland California 1933

By 1933 the Oakland Port Authorshyity was considering using the Diamond for a display in the termishynal of the Oakland Airport An agreement was made to display the plane in a well-protected environshyment for all to see It remained there until 1948 at which time Paul Garshyber of the Smithsonian Institution approached the Oakland Port Aushythority with the hope that it might be transferred to the National Air Museum The transfer was agreed upon the aeroplane crated once more and the Diamond left Califorshy

nia not to return for SO years

Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos California 1988

The Diamond was returned to California and the restoration direcshytive from the National Air and Space Museum though quite detailed about what was thought to be restorshyable was straightforward Restore the aeroplane to the 1912 Dominguez air meet configuration and use as much of the existing aeroshyplane as possible

The project began with the task of assembling the various parts that had been in storage for the past SO years This immediately became a challenge for nothing was labeled or marked and all the parts were badly weathered or delaminated In some cases a few of the parts apshypeared to come from another aeroplane By comparing parts with photographs along with wear marks and impressions on the wood made

by metal fittings the seemingly imshypossible puzzle was pieced together Early on in the process the decision was made to replace all of the wing structure along with the canard and tail assembly Not only was the wood too rotted to be of any structural use but also in the case of the wing beams the wrong type of wood had been used in the 1930 reconstrucshytion In contrast the restoration team decided that most of the origishynal outrigger beams (the fore and aft extensions supporting the canard and tail surfaces) were usable Most of the outrigger struts were also in sound condition Further examinashytion showed that many of the metal fittings along with the undercarshyriage were constructed of metal water pipe probably from the Marysville Union High School reconshystruction and would have to be replaced

The actual restoration began with the careful measurement of the asshysembled machine and the construction of a full-scale side-view lofting or drawing This was invalushyable in the layout of the undercarriage engine bed pilot seat canard support and rudder Many other checks of angles and dimenshysions were also possible Work then began on the wing ribs and intershyplane struts all being built with

laminated spruce over ash The censhyter-section wing beams are laminated in the same way The shaping of the wing ribs was accomplished by glushying and forming the ribs in a special fixture a method very similar to that used by Glenn Curtiss The intershyplane struts also reqUired very careful shaping using specially designed fixshytures to assure accuracy The four outrigger beam units also had to be replaced Each consisted of 1-12shyinch diameter spruce poles that were hollowed out with a 34-inch core router bit and then glued together A 34-inch diameter router bit was then used to finish the outside rashydius followed by enough sanding to remove any tool marks All new parts were then stained to match the old parts as closely as possible

Assembly of the new parts began with the outer wing panels It was believed that the wings received from the National Air and Space Mushyseum were correct so wing beams were cut to length and shaped acshycordingly Careful reference to the original photographs was continushyally made to determine the wing rib spacing but the rib layout pattern did not appear to be correct This was when it was discovered that the wing panels received from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum were three feet short of what they should

be After a second set of wing beams was cut and shaped the layout and assembly continued with no further problems

As work progressed some amazing discoveries evolved A trip to the Glenn Curtiss museum in Hamshymondsport New York brought back a series of articles published in AEROshyNAUTICS dated February through May 1911 entitled How to Build a Curtiss-Type Biplane A three-dishymensional drawing published in 1910 which included some conshystruction details was also discovered A comparison of these articles along with the dimensional draWing not only proved to be a great help but also confirmed that all the measureshyments and scaling of photographs done by the restoration team were correct

One question dogged the Hiller team from the beginning What hapshypened to the many original parts that never made it to Yuba County from Los Angeles in 1930 Fully abshysorbed in the mystery Hillers Newton Craven had been poring over old aviation magazines and among the pictures he recognized a familiar-looking control column in the hands of Paul Poberezny EAAs founder My God said Craven Thats the Diamonds steering colshyumn The photo was part of an

article announcing the acshyquisition by EAA of the parts of a pioneer-era homebuilt airplane Days later he was in Oshkosh with Poberezny arshyranging for the reunion of the long-missing authentic parts with the body of their origin It was a bountiful vicshytory control column seat

Out of its storage crate for the first time in 50 years the aeroplane is assembled to check if the various pieces fit A photo and short article in the March 1965 issue of EAA Sport Aviation led the Hiller Aviation Museum staff to EAA founder Paul Poberezny who helped get the group of Diamond parts in the EAA collection reunitshyed with the rest of the airframe Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

front and rear forks of the undercarshyriage fittings compression members wheels and all of them in good condition Even a 1910 tire was still inflatable

The story of how the parts came to EAA managed to fill in a few gaps in the Diamonds history In 1964 Poberezny had received the missing originals from a Texan friend Neil Carr who had inherited the old Calshyifornia Airplane Co on San Franciscos Gough Street Along with the company-for reasons unshyknown-came the missing pieces of the Diamond

After negotiations and fundraisshying the parts were purchased by the Hiller Aviation Museum and shipped to San Carlos California The restoration crew was astounded and overjoyed as the parts fit into place

Among the parts received were much of the undercarriage (includshying the wheels) the control column with the control wheel and the aileron control system which uses a hinged seat back called a crotch This allowed the pilot to simply lean left or right to control the ailerons which bank the aeroplane Also inshycluded were wing compression ribs and a bamboo control rod with fitshytings for the canard All parts fit as though they had never left the Diashymond It is open to speculation as to how these parts became separated but it is believed that when the Dominguez Hills air meet was over and the aeroplane was prepared for shipment back to Pittsburg Califorshynia some of the parts may have been sold or perhaps given away A street address 743 Gough Street San Francisco California was found in the box of parts acquired from the EAA Museum The San Francisco Dishyrectory of 1912 lists the California Aeroplane Company at that address

The canard horizontal stabilizer and rudder were built using the How to Build a Curtiss-Type Bishyplane information and period examples of construction techshyniques All joints were reinforced with brass sheet metal nailed

8 FEBRUARY 2001

through with brads clinching each tip and then soldered Again those original parts sent from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum did not use this technique and were thought to be built by the Marysville Union High School students in 1930

Most of the metal fittings had to be replaced for corrosion had taken its toll Using the original examples on the plane new interplane strut sockets were made along with tabs for attaching the wire cross bracing The wire bracing itself was also made along with all turnbuckles Many of the wing rib front sockets used to attach the ribs to the forshyward beam were in serviceable condition so they were cleaned and reinstalled The originals were made of brass and had not corroded Howshyever the hat-shaped brackets holding the ribs to the rear beam had to be replaced The X frame supporting the canard was also fabrishycated by the restoration team and again the full-size drawing of the aeroplane proved invaluable All new control cables cable guides and pulleys also had to be made for none had arrived with the shipment from the National Air and Space Mushyseum Though control cables were acqUired form the EAA Museum none were serviceable but they were helpful as a guide in making the new parts The actual routing of the control cables was determined by reshyferring to photographs and the three-view construction drawings of the 1910 Curtiss The metalwork asshysociated with the outriggers though corroded appeared to be serviceable It was cleaned and repaired and is now on the Diamond

Just two years after receiving the crated Diamond from the National Air and Space Museum the entire reshystored airframe was completed and assembled with all wire bracing This also included the rigging of the conshytrols It was then necessary to disassemble the aeroplane so that all panels could be covered with the apshypropriate fabric and finish Most aeroplanes builders of that time used

brass upholstery tacks to fasten the fabric to the airframe so a search had to be conducted to find the corshyrect tacks The tacks were finally located in Germany and a shipment arrived by post A narrow cotton webbing was used over each rib to reinforce the fabric under the tack heads Over 2000 tacks were used to fasten the fabric to the Diamond

Some early plane builders used fabrics such as rubberized balloon cloth and even silk while others used raw linen and applied a finish that would make the fabric airtight The various finishes available inshycluded a shellac a spar varnish linseed oil and beeswax thinned with turpentine These were all tried on test panels but in the case of the raw linen covering the Diamond it was found that the only type of modern day finish that would tighten the fabric while making it airtight must contain water Four coats of brushed-on water-borne clear lacquer were used with very careful sanding between the third and fourth coat

The covering of the wings stabishylizer rudder and canard was completed by the end of April 2000 and reassembly was about to begin By this time the restoration team had received an original Roberts 4X engine from the National Air and Space Museum though several exshyternal parts were missing The missing items included the water manifold water pump and magshyneto After relentless searching only the magneto was found so relying on the photographs the missing parts were fabricated The dual radiashytors fuel tank and propeller also had to be built Careful scaling of photographs provided the team with the necessary dimensions for buildshying the radiators and fuel tank

The National Air and Space Mushyseum lent the team a propeller but it was to be used only as an example to be copied It was six inches shorter than what was reqUired for the Diashy

-continued on page 29

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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The restoration of the Diamond took place in the shops of the Hiller Aviation Museum Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

cause they were both boatshymen elected to put the wing fabric on the under surface of the wings rather than on the upper surface Their inishytial attempts to fly the plane must have proved this to be a bad decision for the fabric was soon removed and reinshystalled on the top of the wings According to the date on the photograph the Diashymond was actually completed in 1910 so pershyhaps the referral in the Antioch Press to the compleshytion of the aerop lane and the upcoming flight in midsummer of 1911 was due to this change in the wing fabric In addition that same photograph shows the ailerons mounted between the leading edges of the wings just as the 1910 Curtiss construction drawings call for but all other photographs of the Diashymond show the ailerons on the trailing edge just as Curtiss began doing in 1911

A budding young aviator Weldon B Cooke had become interested in aviation in 1910 and had built and was flying a Montgomery-type glider This type of glider like many other flying machines of the time used a combination of wing warping and weight shifting for control The designer John Montgomery was a professor of physics at Santa Clara University and had been experishymenting with gliders since 1884 Montgomerys gliders had a very successful record including flights released from manned balloons flyshying as high as 4000 feet Cooke had made several short hops with his glider when he heard of an aeroshyplane under construction in Black Diamond (now known as Pittsburg) California by Maupin and Lanteri

He visited the two men to conshyvince them to let him try his hand at

flying their aeroplane Maupin and Lanteri gave him the chance and Cooke proceeding cautiously by taxiing back and forth across the field for several days eventually got it into the air He flew the machine so well that he was invited to beshycome the aviator of the Diamond

By September 201911 he had gained enough confidence to make a flight of two miles over the city and the next day he made a flight of 14 miles October 6 and 7 saw his first public exhibi tion at Walnut Creek California and on October 12 he flew over Oakland California durshying a Co lumbus Day celebration During a flight from nearby Alameda he made a landing at Lake Merritt that ended in the lake but the slight damage was soon repaired and both Weldon and the Diamond were back in the air the next day The first week of December saw him doing exhibition flying at the Stockshyton Fair making flights to 3000 feet that lasted over one hour Following this exhibition he flew to Lockeford California to visit his grandmother and returned to Stockton the next day On December 19 he made a very unusual flight flying over Oakshyland dropping a letter to his brother at the University of California at Berkeley and then continuing on to

Mount Tamalpais He circled Mount Tam at an altitude of 5000 feet and returned to Alameda A very daring flight for a novice aviator in a homeshybuilt aeroplane

December 31 1911 and January 11912 found Cooke and the Diashymond in Santa Rosa California for more exhibition flying This was folshylowed by preparations for the entry of the aeroplane in the Southern California air meet to be held Janushyary 20-28 At the end of the Dominguez meet less than six months after Weldon B Cooke beshygan flying the Diamond it was dismantled crated and shipped back to Pittsburg California It would never again be flown The Dishyamond remained stored at the shipyard until the widow of Lanteri (Lanteri had been killed in a boating accident) asked Lan Maupin who now resided in Yuba County Calishyfornia if he would like the remains of the aeroplane It was then shipped to his ranch in Tudor California where it remain ed in a barn until 1930

Yuba County California 1930

Yuba County was in the process of preparing for the Sacramento Valshyley Land Show to be held September 23-28 1930 when it was decided to

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

1

The Diamond as it appeared at the Dominguez Hills air meet before the air meet at Dominguez Hills - you can see the ailerons still installed on the interplane struts between the wings Also of note is the forward elevator control Look at the top surface of the elevator and projecting from it is a long control horn The elevator pushpull rod most likely made of wood runs aft to its attachment to the back of the control wheelCourtesy of EAA Archives

feature the Diamond as one of sevshyeral aviation displays Arrangements were made with Marysville Union High School which had a very acshytive aeronautics program to reassemble the aeroplane As best as can be determined they had only two to three weeks to make the plane presentable Under the guidance of Lan Maupin and with a lot of hard work by the students and their teachers the aeroplane once more took shape It is apparent from phoshytographs that many parts had to be newly constructed for the landing gear was different and the forward elevator (canard) had shorter intershyplane struts A later examination also showed that each outer wing panel was rebuilt three feet shorter than the original and the reconshystructed wing spars were made of redwood The wings may have been shortened intentionally for the plane was used in the opening day parade which may have required

6 FEBRUARY 2001

the shorter wing The original wingspan including the ailerons that extended four feet beyond the wingtips was 40 feet while the aeroshyplane displayed in Marysville had a wingspan of only 34 feet But the students and their teachers did what they could with what they had and the plane was put on display

Oakland California 1933

By 1933 the Oakland Port Authorshyity was considering using the Diamond for a display in the termishynal of the Oakland Airport An agreement was made to display the plane in a well-protected environshyment for all to see It remained there until 1948 at which time Paul Garshyber of the Smithsonian Institution approached the Oakland Port Aushythority with the hope that it might be transferred to the National Air Museum The transfer was agreed upon the aeroplane crated once more and the Diamond left Califorshy

nia not to return for SO years

Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos California 1988

The Diamond was returned to California and the restoration direcshytive from the National Air and Space Museum though quite detailed about what was thought to be restorshyable was straightforward Restore the aeroplane to the 1912 Dominguez air meet configuration and use as much of the existing aeroshyplane as possible

The project began with the task of assembling the various parts that had been in storage for the past SO years This immediately became a challenge for nothing was labeled or marked and all the parts were badly weathered or delaminated In some cases a few of the parts apshypeared to come from another aeroplane By comparing parts with photographs along with wear marks and impressions on the wood made

by metal fittings the seemingly imshypossible puzzle was pieced together Early on in the process the decision was made to replace all of the wing structure along with the canard and tail assembly Not only was the wood too rotted to be of any structural use but also in the case of the wing beams the wrong type of wood had been used in the 1930 reconstrucshytion In contrast the restoration team decided that most of the origishynal outrigger beams (the fore and aft extensions supporting the canard and tail surfaces) were usable Most of the outrigger struts were also in sound condition Further examinashytion showed that many of the metal fittings along with the undercarshyriage were constructed of metal water pipe probably from the Marysville Union High School reconshystruction and would have to be replaced

The actual restoration began with the careful measurement of the asshysembled machine and the construction of a full-scale side-view lofting or drawing This was invalushyable in the layout of the undercarriage engine bed pilot seat canard support and rudder Many other checks of angles and dimenshysions were also possible Work then began on the wing ribs and intershyplane struts all being built with

laminated spruce over ash The censhyter-section wing beams are laminated in the same way The shaping of the wing ribs was accomplished by glushying and forming the ribs in a special fixture a method very similar to that used by Glenn Curtiss The intershyplane struts also reqUired very careful shaping using specially designed fixshytures to assure accuracy The four outrigger beam units also had to be replaced Each consisted of 1-12shyinch diameter spruce poles that were hollowed out with a 34-inch core router bit and then glued together A 34-inch diameter router bit was then used to finish the outside rashydius followed by enough sanding to remove any tool marks All new parts were then stained to match the old parts as closely as possible

Assembly of the new parts began with the outer wing panels It was believed that the wings received from the National Air and Space Mushyseum were correct so wing beams were cut to length and shaped acshycordingly Careful reference to the original photographs was continushyally made to determine the wing rib spacing but the rib layout pattern did not appear to be correct This was when it was discovered that the wing panels received from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum were three feet short of what they should

be After a second set of wing beams was cut and shaped the layout and assembly continued with no further problems

As work progressed some amazing discoveries evolved A trip to the Glenn Curtiss museum in Hamshymondsport New York brought back a series of articles published in AEROshyNAUTICS dated February through May 1911 entitled How to Build a Curtiss-Type Biplane A three-dishymensional drawing published in 1910 which included some conshystruction details was also discovered A comparison of these articles along with the dimensional draWing not only proved to be a great help but also confirmed that all the measureshyments and scaling of photographs done by the restoration team were correct

One question dogged the Hiller team from the beginning What hapshypened to the many original parts that never made it to Yuba County from Los Angeles in 1930 Fully abshysorbed in the mystery Hillers Newton Craven had been poring over old aviation magazines and among the pictures he recognized a familiar-looking control column in the hands of Paul Poberezny EAAs founder My God said Craven Thats the Diamonds steering colshyumn The photo was part of an

article announcing the acshyquisition by EAA of the parts of a pioneer-era homebuilt airplane Days later he was in Oshkosh with Poberezny arshyranging for the reunion of the long-missing authentic parts with the body of their origin It was a bountiful vicshytory control column seat

Out of its storage crate for the first time in 50 years the aeroplane is assembled to check if the various pieces fit A photo and short article in the March 1965 issue of EAA Sport Aviation led the Hiller Aviation Museum staff to EAA founder Paul Poberezny who helped get the group of Diamond parts in the EAA collection reunitshyed with the rest of the airframe Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

front and rear forks of the undercarshyriage fittings compression members wheels and all of them in good condition Even a 1910 tire was still inflatable

The story of how the parts came to EAA managed to fill in a few gaps in the Diamonds history In 1964 Poberezny had received the missing originals from a Texan friend Neil Carr who had inherited the old Calshyifornia Airplane Co on San Franciscos Gough Street Along with the company-for reasons unshyknown-came the missing pieces of the Diamond

After negotiations and fundraisshying the parts were purchased by the Hiller Aviation Museum and shipped to San Carlos California The restoration crew was astounded and overjoyed as the parts fit into place

Among the parts received were much of the undercarriage (includshying the wheels) the control column with the control wheel and the aileron control system which uses a hinged seat back called a crotch This allowed the pilot to simply lean left or right to control the ailerons which bank the aeroplane Also inshycluded were wing compression ribs and a bamboo control rod with fitshytings for the canard All parts fit as though they had never left the Diashymond It is open to speculation as to how these parts became separated but it is believed that when the Dominguez Hills air meet was over and the aeroplane was prepared for shipment back to Pittsburg Califorshynia some of the parts may have been sold or perhaps given away A street address 743 Gough Street San Francisco California was found in the box of parts acquired from the EAA Museum The San Francisco Dishyrectory of 1912 lists the California Aeroplane Company at that address

The canard horizontal stabilizer and rudder were built using the How to Build a Curtiss-Type Bishyplane information and period examples of construction techshyniques All joints were reinforced with brass sheet metal nailed

8 FEBRUARY 2001

through with brads clinching each tip and then soldered Again those original parts sent from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum did not use this technique and were thought to be built by the Marysville Union High School students in 1930

Most of the metal fittings had to be replaced for corrosion had taken its toll Using the original examples on the plane new interplane strut sockets were made along with tabs for attaching the wire cross bracing The wire bracing itself was also made along with all turnbuckles Many of the wing rib front sockets used to attach the ribs to the forshyward beam were in serviceable condition so they were cleaned and reinstalled The originals were made of brass and had not corroded Howshyever the hat-shaped brackets holding the ribs to the rear beam had to be replaced The X frame supporting the canard was also fabrishycated by the restoration team and again the full-size drawing of the aeroplane proved invaluable All new control cables cable guides and pulleys also had to be made for none had arrived with the shipment from the National Air and Space Mushyseum Though control cables were acqUired form the EAA Museum none were serviceable but they were helpful as a guide in making the new parts The actual routing of the control cables was determined by reshyferring to photographs and the three-view construction drawings of the 1910 Curtiss The metalwork asshysociated with the outriggers though corroded appeared to be serviceable It was cleaned and repaired and is now on the Diamond

Just two years after receiving the crated Diamond from the National Air and Space Museum the entire reshystored airframe was completed and assembled with all wire bracing This also included the rigging of the conshytrols It was then necessary to disassemble the aeroplane so that all panels could be covered with the apshypropriate fabric and finish Most aeroplanes builders of that time used

brass upholstery tacks to fasten the fabric to the airframe so a search had to be conducted to find the corshyrect tacks The tacks were finally located in Germany and a shipment arrived by post A narrow cotton webbing was used over each rib to reinforce the fabric under the tack heads Over 2000 tacks were used to fasten the fabric to the Diamond

Some early plane builders used fabrics such as rubberized balloon cloth and even silk while others used raw linen and applied a finish that would make the fabric airtight The various finishes available inshycluded a shellac a spar varnish linseed oil and beeswax thinned with turpentine These were all tried on test panels but in the case of the raw linen covering the Diamond it was found that the only type of modern day finish that would tighten the fabric while making it airtight must contain water Four coats of brushed-on water-borne clear lacquer were used with very careful sanding between the third and fourth coat

The covering of the wings stabishylizer rudder and canard was completed by the end of April 2000 and reassembly was about to begin By this time the restoration team had received an original Roberts 4X engine from the National Air and Space Museum though several exshyternal parts were missing The missing items included the water manifold water pump and magshyneto After relentless searching only the magneto was found so relying on the photographs the missing parts were fabricated The dual radiashytors fuel tank and propeller also had to be built Careful scaling of photographs provided the team with the necessary dimensions for buildshying the radiators and fuel tank

The National Air and Space Mushyseum lent the team a propeller but it was to be used only as an example to be copied It was six inches shorter than what was reqUired for the Diashy

-continued on page 29

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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24 FEBRUARY 2001

1

The Diamond as it appeared at the Dominguez Hills air meet before the air meet at Dominguez Hills - you can see the ailerons still installed on the interplane struts between the wings Also of note is the forward elevator control Look at the top surface of the elevator and projecting from it is a long control horn The elevator pushpull rod most likely made of wood runs aft to its attachment to the back of the control wheelCourtesy of EAA Archives

feature the Diamond as one of sevshyeral aviation displays Arrangements were made with Marysville Union High School which had a very acshytive aeronautics program to reassemble the aeroplane As best as can be determined they had only two to three weeks to make the plane presentable Under the guidance of Lan Maupin and with a lot of hard work by the students and their teachers the aeroplane once more took shape It is apparent from phoshytographs that many parts had to be newly constructed for the landing gear was different and the forward elevator (canard) had shorter intershyplane struts A later examination also showed that each outer wing panel was rebuilt three feet shorter than the original and the reconshystructed wing spars were made of redwood The wings may have been shortened intentionally for the plane was used in the opening day parade which may have required

6 FEBRUARY 2001

the shorter wing The original wingspan including the ailerons that extended four feet beyond the wingtips was 40 feet while the aeroshyplane displayed in Marysville had a wingspan of only 34 feet But the students and their teachers did what they could with what they had and the plane was put on display

Oakland California 1933

By 1933 the Oakland Port Authorshyity was considering using the Diamond for a display in the termishynal of the Oakland Airport An agreement was made to display the plane in a well-protected environshyment for all to see It remained there until 1948 at which time Paul Garshyber of the Smithsonian Institution approached the Oakland Port Aushythority with the hope that it might be transferred to the National Air Museum The transfer was agreed upon the aeroplane crated once more and the Diamond left Califorshy

nia not to return for SO years

Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos California 1988

The Diamond was returned to California and the restoration direcshytive from the National Air and Space Museum though quite detailed about what was thought to be restorshyable was straightforward Restore the aeroplane to the 1912 Dominguez air meet configuration and use as much of the existing aeroshyplane as possible

The project began with the task of assembling the various parts that had been in storage for the past SO years This immediately became a challenge for nothing was labeled or marked and all the parts were badly weathered or delaminated In some cases a few of the parts apshypeared to come from another aeroplane By comparing parts with photographs along with wear marks and impressions on the wood made

by metal fittings the seemingly imshypossible puzzle was pieced together Early on in the process the decision was made to replace all of the wing structure along with the canard and tail assembly Not only was the wood too rotted to be of any structural use but also in the case of the wing beams the wrong type of wood had been used in the 1930 reconstrucshytion In contrast the restoration team decided that most of the origishynal outrigger beams (the fore and aft extensions supporting the canard and tail surfaces) were usable Most of the outrigger struts were also in sound condition Further examinashytion showed that many of the metal fittings along with the undercarshyriage were constructed of metal water pipe probably from the Marysville Union High School reconshystruction and would have to be replaced

The actual restoration began with the careful measurement of the asshysembled machine and the construction of a full-scale side-view lofting or drawing This was invalushyable in the layout of the undercarriage engine bed pilot seat canard support and rudder Many other checks of angles and dimenshysions were also possible Work then began on the wing ribs and intershyplane struts all being built with

laminated spruce over ash The censhyter-section wing beams are laminated in the same way The shaping of the wing ribs was accomplished by glushying and forming the ribs in a special fixture a method very similar to that used by Glenn Curtiss The intershyplane struts also reqUired very careful shaping using specially designed fixshytures to assure accuracy The four outrigger beam units also had to be replaced Each consisted of 1-12shyinch diameter spruce poles that were hollowed out with a 34-inch core router bit and then glued together A 34-inch diameter router bit was then used to finish the outside rashydius followed by enough sanding to remove any tool marks All new parts were then stained to match the old parts as closely as possible

Assembly of the new parts began with the outer wing panels It was believed that the wings received from the National Air and Space Mushyseum were correct so wing beams were cut to length and shaped acshycordingly Careful reference to the original photographs was continushyally made to determine the wing rib spacing but the rib layout pattern did not appear to be correct This was when it was discovered that the wing panels received from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum were three feet short of what they should

be After a second set of wing beams was cut and shaped the layout and assembly continued with no further problems

As work progressed some amazing discoveries evolved A trip to the Glenn Curtiss museum in Hamshymondsport New York brought back a series of articles published in AEROshyNAUTICS dated February through May 1911 entitled How to Build a Curtiss-Type Biplane A three-dishymensional drawing published in 1910 which included some conshystruction details was also discovered A comparison of these articles along with the dimensional draWing not only proved to be a great help but also confirmed that all the measureshyments and scaling of photographs done by the restoration team were correct

One question dogged the Hiller team from the beginning What hapshypened to the many original parts that never made it to Yuba County from Los Angeles in 1930 Fully abshysorbed in the mystery Hillers Newton Craven had been poring over old aviation magazines and among the pictures he recognized a familiar-looking control column in the hands of Paul Poberezny EAAs founder My God said Craven Thats the Diamonds steering colshyumn The photo was part of an

article announcing the acshyquisition by EAA of the parts of a pioneer-era homebuilt airplane Days later he was in Oshkosh with Poberezny arshyranging for the reunion of the long-missing authentic parts with the body of their origin It was a bountiful vicshytory control column seat

Out of its storage crate for the first time in 50 years the aeroplane is assembled to check if the various pieces fit A photo and short article in the March 1965 issue of EAA Sport Aviation led the Hiller Aviation Museum staff to EAA founder Paul Poberezny who helped get the group of Diamond parts in the EAA collection reunitshyed with the rest of the airframe Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

front and rear forks of the undercarshyriage fittings compression members wheels and all of them in good condition Even a 1910 tire was still inflatable

The story of how the parts came to EAA managed to fill in a few gaps in the Diamonds history In 1964 Poberezny had received the missing originals from a Texan friend Neil Carr who had inherited the old Calshyifornia Airplane Co on San Franciscos Gough Street Along with the company-for reasons unshyknown-came the missing pieces of the Diamond

After negotiations and fundraisshying the parts were purchased by the Hiller Aviation Museum and shipped to San Carlos California The restoration crew was astounded and overjoyed as the parts fit into place

Among the parts received were much of the undercarriage (includshying the wheels) the control column with the control wheel and the aileron control system which uses a hinged seat back called a crotch This allowed the pilot to simply lean left or right to control the ailerons which bank the aeroplane Also inshycluded were wing compression ribs and a bamboo control rod with fitshytings for the canard All parts fit as though they had never left the Diashymond It is open to speculation as to how these parts became separated but it is believed that when the Dominguez Hills air meet was over and the aeroplane was prepared for shipment back to Pittsburg Califorshynia some of the parts may have been sold or perhaps given away A street address 743 Gough Street San Francisco California was found in the box of parts acquired from the EAA Museum The San Francisco Dishyrectory of 1912 lists the California Aeroplane Company at that address

The canard horizontal stabilizer and rudder were built using the How to Build a Curtiss-Type Bishyplane information and period examples of construction techshyniques All joints were reinforced with brass sheet metal nailed

8 FEBRUARY 2001

through with brads clinching each tip and then soldered Again those original parts sent from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum did not use this technique and were thought to be built by the Marysville Union High School students in 1930

Most of the metal fittings had to be replaced for corrosion had taken its toll Using the original examples on the plane new interplane strut sockets were made along with tabs for attaching the wire cross bracing The wire bracing itself was also made along with all turnbuckles Many of the wing rib front sockets used to attach the ribs to the forshyward beam were in serviceable condition so they were cleaned and reinstalled The originals were made of brass and had not corroded Howshyever the hat-shaped brackets holding the ribs to the rear beam had to be replaced The X frame supporting the canard was also fabrishycated by the restoration team and again the full-size drawing of the aeroplane proved invaluable All new control cables cable guides and pulleys also had to be made for none had arrived with the shipment from the National Air and Space Mushyseum Though control cables were acqUired form the EAA Museum none were serviceable but they were helpful as a guide in making the new parts The actual routing of the control cables was determined by reshyferring to photographs and the three-view construction drawings of the 1910 Curtiss The metalwork asshysociated with the outriggers though corroded appeared to be serviceable It was cleaned and repaired and is now on the Diamond

Just two years after receiving the crated Diamond from the National Air and Space Museum the entire reshystored airframe was completed and assembled with all wire bracing This also included the rigging of the conshytrols It was then necessary to disassemble the aeroplane so that all panels could be covered with the apshypropriate fabric and finish Most aeroplanes builders of that time used

brass upholstery tacks to fasten the fabric to the airframe so a search had to be conducted to find the corshyrect tacks The tacks were finally located in Germany and a shipment arrived by post A narrow cotton webbing was used over each rib to reinforce the fabric under the tack heads Over 2000 tacks were used to fasten the fabric to the Diamond

Some early plane builders used fabrics such as rubberized balloon cloth and even silk while others used raw linen and applied a finish that would make the fabric airtight The various finishes available inshycluded a shellac a spar varnish linseed oil and beeswax thinned with turpentine These were all tried on test panels but in the case of the raw linen covering the Diamond it was found that the only type of modern day finish that would tighten the fabric while making it airtight must contain water Four coats of brushed-on water-borne clear lacquer were used with very careful sanding between the third and fourth coat

The covering of the wings stabishylizer rudder and canard was completed by the end of April 2000 and reassembly was about to begin By this time the restoration team had received an original Roberts 4X engine from the National Air and Space Museum though several exshyternal parts were missing The missing items included the water manifold water pump and magshyneto After relentless searching only the magneto was found so relying on the photographs the missing parts were fabricated The dual radiashytors fuel tank and propeller also had to be built Careful scaling of photographs provided the team with the necessary dimensions for buildshying the radiators and fuel tank

The National Air and Space Mushyseum lent the team a propeller but it was to be used only as an example to be copied It was six inches shorter than what was reqUired for the Diashy

-continued on page 29

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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by metal fittings the seemingly imshypossible puzzle was pieced together Early on in the process the decision was made to replace all of the wing structure along with the canard and tail assembly Not only was the wood too rotted to be of any structural use but also in the case of the wing beams the wrong type of wood had been used in the 1930 reconstrucshytion In contrast the restoration team decided that most of the origishynal outrigger beams (the fore and aft extensions supporting the canard and tail surfaces) were usable Most of the outrigger struts were also in sound condition Further examinashytion showed that many of the metal fittings along with the undercarshyriage were constructed of metal water pipe probably from the Marysville Union High School reconshystruction and would have to be replaced

The actual restoration began with the careful measurement of the asshysembled machine and the construction of a full-scale side-view lofting or drawing This was invalushyable in the layout of the undercarriage engine bed pilot seat canard support and rudder Many other checks of angles and dimenshysions were also possible Work then began on the wing ribs and intershyplane struts all being built with

laminated spruce over ash The censhyter-section wing beams are laminated in the same way The shaping of the wing ribs was accomplished by glushying and forming the ribs in a special fixture a method very similar to that used by Glenn Curtiss The intershyplane struts also reqUired very careful shaping using specially designed fixshytures to assure accuracy The four outrigger beam units also had to be replaced Each consisted of 1-12shyinch diameter spruce poles that were hollowed out with a 34-inch core router bit and then glued together A 34-inch diameter router bit was then used to finish the outside rashydius followed by enough sanding to remove any tool marks All new parts were then stained to match the old parts as closely as possible

Assembly of the new parts began with the outer wing panels It was believed that the wings received from the National Air and Space Mushyseum were correct so wing beams were cut to length and shaped acshycordingly Careful reference to the original photographs was continushyally made to determine the wing rib spacing but the rib layout pattern did not appear to be correct This was when it was discovered that the wing panels received from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum were three feet short of what they should

be After a second set of wing beams was cut and shaped the layout and assembly continued with no further problems

As work progressed some amazing discoveries evolved A trip to the Glenn Curtiss museum in Hamshymondsport New York brought back a series of articles published in AEROshyNAUTICS dated February through May 1911 entitled How to Build a Curtiss-Type Biplane A three-dishymensional drawing published in 1910 which included some conshystruction details was also discovered A comparison of these articles along with the dimensional draWing not only proved to be a great help but also confirmed that all the measureshyments and scaling of photographs done by the restoration team were correct

One question dogged the Hiller team from the beginning What hapshypened to the many original parts that never made it to Yuba County from Los Angeles in 1930 Fully abshysorbed in the mystery Hillers Newton Craven had been poring over old aviation magazines and among the pictures he recognized a familiar-looking control column in the hands of Paul Poberezny EAAs founder My God said Craven Thats the Diamonds steering colshyumn The photo was part of an

article announcing the acshyquisition by EAA of the parts of a pioneer-era homebuilt airplane Days later he was in Oshkosh with Poberezny arshyranging for the reunion of the long-missing authentic parts with the body of their origin It was a bountiful vicshytory control column seat

Out of its storage crate for the first time in 50 years the aeroplane is assembled to check if the various pieces fit A photo and short article in the March 1965 issue of EAA Sport Aviation led the Hiller Aviation Museum staff to EAA founder Paul Poberezny who helped get the group of Diamond parts in the EAA collection reunitshyed with the rest of the airframe Courtesy of Hiller Aviation Museum

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

front and rear forks of the undercarshyriage fittings compression members wheels and all of them in good condition Even a 1910 tire was still inflatable

The story of how the parts came to EAA managed to fill in a few gaps in the Diamonds history In 1964 Poberezny had received the missing originals from a Texan friend Neil Carr who had inherited the old Calshyifornia Airplane Co on San Franciscos Gough Street Along with the company-for reasons unshyknown-came the missing pieces of the Diamond

After negotiations and fundraisshying the parts were purchased by the Hiller Aviation Museum and shipped to San Carlos California The restoration crew was astounded and overjoyed as the parts fit into place

Among the parts received were much of the undercarriage (includshying the wheels) the control column with the control wheel and the aileron control system which uses a hinged seat back called a crotch This allowed the pilot to simply lean left or right to control the ailerons which bank the aeroplane Also inshycluded were wing compression ribs and a bamboo control rod with fitshytings for the canard All parts fit as though they had never left the Diashymond It is open to speculation as to how these parts became separated but it is believed that when the Dominguez Hills air meet was over and the aeroplane was prepared for shipment back to Pittsburg Califorshynia some of the parts may have been sold or perhaps given away A street address 743 Gough Street San Francisco California was found in the box of parts acquired from the EAA Museum The San Francisco Dishyrectory of 1912 lists the California Aeroplane Company at that address

The canard horizontal stabilizer and rudder were built using the How to Build a Curtiss-Type Bishyplane information and period examples of construction techshyniques All joints were reinforced with brass sheet metal nailed

8 FEBRUARY 2001

through with brads clinching each tip and then soldered Again those original parts sent from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum did not use this technique and were thought to be built by the Marysville Union High School students in 1930

Most of the metal fittings had to be replaced for corrosion had taken its toll Using the original examples on the plane new interplane strut sockets were made along with tabs for attaching the wire cross bracing The wire bracing itself was also made along with all turnbuckles Many of the wing rib front sockets used to attach the ribs to the forshyward beam were in serviceable condition so they were cleaned and reinstalled The originals were made of brass and had not corroded Howshyever the hat-shaped brackets holding the ribs to the rear beam had to be replaced The X frame supporting the canard was also fabrishycated by the restoration team and again the full-size drawing of the aeroplane proved invaluable All new control cables cable guides and pulleys also had to be made for none had arrived with the shipment from the National Air and Space Mushyseum Though control cables were acqUired form the EAA Museum none were serviceable but they were helpful as a guide in making the new parts The actual routing of the control cables was determined by reshyferring to photographs and the three-view construction drawings of the 1910 Curtiss The metalwork asshysociated with the outriggers though corroded appeared to be serviceable It was cleaned and repaired and is now on the Diamond

Just two years after receiving the crated Diamond from the National Air and Space Museum the entire reshystored airframe was completed and assembled with all wire bracing This also included the rigging of the conshytrols It was then necessary to disassemble the aeroplane so that all panels could be covered with the apshypropriate fabric and finish Most aeroplanes builders of that time used

brass upholstery tacks to fasten the fabric to the airframe so a search had to be conducted to find the corshyrect tacks The tacks were finally located in Germany and a shipment arrived by post A narrow cotton webbing was used over each rib to reinforce the fabric under the tack heads Over 2000 tacks were used to fasten the fabric to the Diamond

Some early plane builders used fabrics such as rubberized balloon cloth and even silk while others used raw linen and applied a finish that would make the fabric airtight The various finishes available inshycluded a shellac a spar varnish linseed oil and beeswax thinned with turpentine These were all tried on test panels but in the case of the raw linen covering the Diamond it was found that the only type of modern day finish that would tighten the fabric while making it airtight must contain water Four coats of brushed-on water-borne clear lacquer were used with very careful sanding between the third and fourth coat

The covering of the wings stabishylizer rudder and canard was completed by the end of April 2000 and reassembly was about to begin By this time the restoration team had received an original Roberts 4X engine from the National Air and Space Museum though several exshyternal parts were missing The missing items included the water manifold water pump and magshyneto After relentless searching only the magneto was found so relying on the photographs the missing parts were fabricated The dual radiashytors fuel tank and propeller also had to be built Careful scaling of photographs provided the team with the necessary dimensions for buildshying the radiators and fuel tank

The National Air and Space Mushyseum lent the team a propeller but it was to be used only as an example to be copied It was six inches shorter than what was reqUired for the Diashy

-continued on page 29

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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front and rear forks of the undercarshyriage fittings compression members wheels and all of them in good condition Even a 1910 tire was still inflatable

The story of how the parts came to EAA managed to fill in a few gaps in the Diamonds history In 1964 Poberezny had received the missing originals from a Texan friend Neil Carr who had inherited the old Calshyifornia Airplane Co on San Franciscos Gough Street Along with the company-for reasons unshyknown-came the missing pieces of the Diamond

After negotiations and fundraisshying the parts were purchased by the Hiller Aviation Museum and shipped to San Carlos California The restoration crew was astounded and overjoyed as the parts fit into place

Among the parts received were much of the undercarriage (includshying the wheels) the control column with the control wheel and the aileron control system which uses a hinged seat back called a crotch This allowed the pilot to simply lean left or right to control the ailerons which bank the aeroplane Also inshycluded were wing compression ribs and a bamboo control rod with fitshytings for the canard All parts fit as though they had never left the Diashymond It is open to speculation as to how these parts became separated but it is believed that when the Dominguez Hills air meet was over and the aeroplane was prepared for shipment back to Pittsburg Califorshynia some of the parts may have been sold or perhaps given away A street address 743 Gough Street San Francisco California was found in the box of parts acquired from the EAA Museum The San Francisco Dishyrectory of 1912 lists the California Aeroplane Company at that address

The canard horizontal stabilizer and rudder were built using the How to Build a Curtiss-Type Bishyplane information and period examples of construction techshyniques All joints were reinforced with brass sheet metal nailed

8 FEBRUARY 2001

through with brads clinching each tip and then soldered Again those original parts sent from the Nashytional Air and Space Museum did not use this technique and were thought to be built by the Marysville Union High School students in 1930

Most of the metal fittings had to be replaced for corrosion had taken its toll Using the original examples on the plane new interplane strut sockets were made along with tabs for attaching the wire cross bracing The wire bracing itself was also made along with all turnbuckles Many of the wing rib front sockets used to attach the ribs to the forshyward beam were in serviceable condition so they were cleaned and reinstalled The originals were made of brass and had not corroded Howshyever the hat-shaped brackets holding the ribs to the rear beam had to be replaced The X frame supporting the canard was also fabrishycated by the restoration team and again the full-size drawing of the aeroplane proved invaluable All new control cables cable guides and pulleys also had to be made for none had arrived with the shipment from the National Air and Space Mushyseum Though control cables were acqUired form the EAA Museum none were serviceable but they were helpful as a guide in making the new parts The actual routing of the control cables was determined by reshyferring to photographs and the three-view construction drawings of the 1910 Curtiss The metalwork asshysociated with the outriggers though corroded appeared to be serviceable It was cleaned and repaired and is now on the Diamond

Just two years after receiving the crated Diamond from the National Air and Space Museum the entire reshystored airframe was completed and assembled with all wire bracing This also included the rigging of the conshytrols It was then necessary to disassemble the aeroplane so that all panels could be covered with the apshypropriate fabric and finish Most aeroplanes builders of that time used

brass upholstery tacks to fasten the fabric to the airframe so a search had to be conducted to find the corshyrect tacks The tacks were finally located in Germany and a shipment arrived by post A narrow cotton webbing was used over each rib to reinforce the fabric under the tack heads Over 2000 tacks were used to fasten the fabric to the Diamond

Some early plane builders used fabrics such as rubberized balloon cloth and even silk while others used raw linen and applied a finish that would make the fabric airtight The various finishes available inshycluded a shellac a spar varnish linseed oil and beeswax thinned with turpentine These were all tried on test panels but in the case of the raw linen covering the Diamond it was found that the only type of modern day finish that would tighten the fabric while making it airtight must contain water Four coats of brushed-on water-borne clear lacquer were used with very careful sanding between the third and fourth coat

The covering of the wings stabishylizer rudder and canard was completed by the end of April 2000 and reassembly was about to begin By this time the restoration team had received an original Roberts 4X engine from the National Air and Space Museum though several exshyternal parts were missing The missing items included the water manifold water pump and magshyneto After relentless searching only the magneto was found so relying on the photographs the missing parts were fabricated The dual radiashytors fuel tank and propeller also had to be built Careful scaling of photographs provided the team with the necessary dimensions for buildshying the radiators and fuel tank

The National Air and Space Mushyseum lent the team a propeller but it was to be used only as an example to be copied It was six inches shorter than what was reqUired for the Diashy

-continued on page 29

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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24 FEBRUARY 2001

I first found out about this little bear on February 9 1996 I received a fax from a friend advising me of the existence of five Piper Super Cubs languishing in an extended winter slumber The airplanes had been in this suspended state for around eight years Associate Professor Terry Dorshyris and I decided to try to get at least one of the aircraft We set the papershywork in motion with high expectations Within a few days I reshyceived the news that we were granted possession of one of the yet-unseen aircraft Terry and I made plans with some students from our school (Midshydle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro) to travel to Columbia South Carolina to claim our prize Our trip started uneventfully but we soon ran into a snowstorm that cov-

AsleeDing Cub is revived

by Bill Allen

ered the mountain pass between our destination and us After some slipshypery travel we arrived in Columbia and found the entrance to the wareshyhouse where our Cub was sleeping

Unfortunately the late hour preshyvented us from making visual contact The next day we drove to the warehouse and saw for the first

time the cache of aircraft and aircraft parts stored there Deep within this mass of pieces lay the heart of our plane the fuselage of N8994Y what had this Cub seen and done before ending up in this den

Super Cub PA-18-1S0 serial numshyber 74-09135 was originally delivered to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service with a IS0hp Lycoming 0-320 engine The US Border Patrol in El Paso used the aircraft until 1983 The slow speed and gentle demeanor of this airplane made it the ideal aircraft for flying surveillance missions with a high deshygree of safety The cruising speed of around 110 mph means that you wont get anywhere quickly but the 44 mph stalling speed means you wont need much runway when you

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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get there Based on the published figures from Piper you can fly the Cub for 35 hours and leave yourself the reshyquired half an hour of fuel when you land

When the US Borshyder Patrol decided to let the Cub browse it was turned in to the federal governments General Services Adshyministration The next agency to call on this little bear was the US Forestry Service Soon after the US Border Patrol turned it in they picked it up The aircraft was to be based in Columbia South Carolina with the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry The aircraft would spend several years in Columbia flyshying many different missions related to the conservation of woodshylands The airplane would use only a fracshytion of its 17OOO-foot service ceiling during these treetop operashytions The exceptional and conshy

(Above) The Super Cub in its uncovered assembled form so the wing and control surface rigging could be checked The new struts are built by Univair and comply with AD 93-10-06 (Below) Eric Lorvig dons a full-coverage pressurized protective suit and mask while using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun to apply Cub Yellow Superflight polyurethane paint to the bottom of the left wing The white undercoat which you can see on the fuselage in the foreground enhances the yellow color

servative 760-foot-per-minute advertised rate of climb provided the operators with an added sense of seshycurity should they have to ascend rapidly The 50 degrees of flaps enshysured that the occupants could descend at a steep angle and drop into almost any field This ability would soon be tested

March 71988 started out as a routine fire patrol day for the pilot of N8994Y and his observer They left Orangeburg Airport at about 2 pm with full fuel tanks and headed to patrol the assigned area The two flew for an hour on general patrol and then helped a fire tower find the location of a fire They decided to

10 FEBRUARY 2001

head back as they were low on fuel but soon the engine began to sputshyter The pilot switched to the left tank which should have had about 30 minutes of fuel but it too was empty They could not make the airshyport and decided to land in an open field that had a dirt road running through it They landed longer than expected and with the engine no longer running there was no goshyaround The plane flipped over and the soft dirt on the lower side of the field claimed the little Cub The two occupants were unhurt and walked out of the field They returned the next day to extract the airplane from the field and take it to the forestry

service headquarters warehouse That was the beginning of an eight-year hibernation for this Cub

We found the pershyson in charge of the warehouse and drove to the side entrance Upon entering the warehouse there were old chain saws weed eaters tractors a Cessna 180 (I missed that one) and the remnants of five Super Cubs We learned from our guide that the plane we were given was the least damaged of the lot We inquired as to what parts and accesshysories went with which aircraft After hearing Well I guess you need to pick up what looks like a comshyplete set of parts we started to load our van and trailer We took notice of a crushed vertical stabilizer missing radios and a missing engine cowlshying After loading the collection we headed back to Tennessee

where we displayed our spoils to colshyleagues and students alike I took inventory and found we had to purshychase some parts including a new vertical stabilizer a rudder an elevashytor a main wing spar some ribs and a complete engine cowl to name a few The Cub then went back to sleep in our hangar while we finished anshyother restoration project

In 1997 Eric Lorvig a particularly ambitious Airframe and Powerplant student told me he would work on restoring the Cub without pay if I would let him By the time the plane was finished this became one semesshyter of free labor for me and over two years of paid employment for him

All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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All covered and painted the fuselage is at the gO percent done 50 percent left to do stage of restoration The Cessna 150 Texas Taildragger conversion peeking out of the hangar door was converted at MTSU

He started with the still and video camera work of documenting where all of the pieces went to ensure that he would n ot have any mystery pieces left over He stripped the fuseshylage bare and commenced with the sandblasting and priming of all the steel parts We inspected the balance of the parts and made almost daily orders to Univair and Cub Crafters searching for new and serviceable reshyplacement pieces The plane saw almost steady progress despite budshyget constraints from time to time and the occasional university break or holiday periods We installed a new instrument panel since the vacshyuum system was not retained The plane was re-covered using the latest in synthetic fabric covering systems and finished with Cub Yellow Supershyflight polyurethane paint with sanding between each coat

During the summer of 1999 it beshygan to look like N8994Y was going to come together The goal at that time was to make it to EAA AirVenshy

ture Oshkosh When it came time to register this well-rested Cub we wanted a registration number that fit this aircraft We selected N147MT representing our FAR Part 147 school and MTSU The airplane flew for the first time again on)uly 221999 with Eric at the stick and a newly overhauled 150 Lycoming out front He told me he would run it down the runway a few times and see how it felt He gave it half power and it wanted to fly He said h e just deshycided to give it full throttle and see what happened It rose into the air climbed through the pattern altitude in seconds and then circled the airshyport He called back on the radio periodically and landed after about half an hour to check for leaks and general condition We found no leaks or loose parts and after makshyin g the required 91407 logbook entry he set out again and flew until almost dark

The true test for the newly chrisshytened N147MT would be the trip to

Oshkosh We made the trip on the Tuesday following the Friday test flight after building about six hours on the engine Eric fl ew the Cub to the fly-in and I followed him in MTSUs Beaver Although we took different routes we arrived in Oshkosh minutes apa rt The trip up was uneventful as the 6700-hour airframe performed flawlessly Eric made the return trip and was very appreciative for the opportunity to display his work and to show it at the biggest nation al aviation event in the United States

After returning from Wisconsin N147MT was put into service with the MTSU Flight School training students pursuing their tailwheel enshydorsements The plane also serves in several other capacities includshying as an air show display a parts chaser a taxicab etc It shows a litshytle wear from its 400 hours of duty as a flight school trainer but it has come a lon g way from its South Carolina cave

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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24 FEBRUARY 2001

PASS IT TO BUCK by EE Buck Hilbert

EAA 21 VAA 5 PO Box 424 Union IL 60180

More on Engine Pre-Heaters The response has been great r hadnt received my December

magazine yet when r had a call from the frozen northern regions The caller adamantly insisted that up there they couldnt live without their heaters He insisted they plugem in the fall and leave them on until spring and there aint no other way He really took me to task

Then the E-Mails came One told of a manufacturers latest innovation to carry off the accumulated internal condensation Its a mini-blower that forces air through the slobber-tube as the rAC guys call the crankcase ventilation line and out through the oil filler hole with the cap left open or ajar Good idea But the price near 300 bucks sort of takes the fun out of it until you consider the cost of an overhaul or a new engine

The majority of the replies echo the findings the article talks about and the summation is that for most of us use of the heater should be confined to just prior to flight and not when the engine is going to be inactive or not flying See the letters that follow Hark to the experiences related and use your own best judgshyment

r recently had a conversation with Terry Norris (Aircraft Systems accesshysory overhaul shop owner in Rockford Illinois) about the article on engine pre-heaters Our talk brought out the fact that his shop is seeing extreme corrosion problems caused by condensation in magneto drives impulse couplings and espeshy

12 FEBRUARY 2001

cially in springs We also talked about crankcase

ventilation and how some ownersmaintenance people extend the tube back to the tail to minimize oil on the belly Taking the tube out of the low-pressure area and the posshysible sludge accumulation in the long tube sure could affect ventilashytion of those condensation vapors We also speculated some about the oil separators being touted today and what effect they might have on passhysive venting when the engine is at rest

We further kicked around running temperatures and why getting the engine up to operating temperature and keeping it there is so important to efficiency and engine life Why do diesels have such a wonderful opershyating history in trucks Because they hardly ever shut them off and they run at optimum temperatures all the time

This led to even further discussion of oil coolers and blocking them off in cold weather as well as different theories on thermostats and pioneershying efforts in engine cooling r wonder how many of todays mainshytenance people even know that there were steam-cooled aircraft engines Believe it or not some of the post World War One big twelve cylinder Vees were actually steam-cooled Steam supposedly never got hotter than 212 degrees Think about that one for a minute

Heres the first batch of notes Well start with science class first

courtesy or Wayne Spani Many substances can exist in three

phases or states-solid liquid or gaseous The phase is dependent upon temperature and pressure so you can cause a substance to change phases by changing temperature pressure or both Condensation is the name we give to the gaseous-toshyliquid phase change For water we know that it exists as a solid (ice) at atmospheriC pressure and below 0deg C as a liqUid between 0deg C and 100deg C and as a gas (steam) above 100deg C Our atmosphere is a mixture of eleshyments and compounds (oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide water and others) in their gaseous state Howshyever for any combination of atmospheriC temperature and presshysure there is a limit to the amount of water (relative humidity) that can exist in the gaseous state When that limit is reached at 100 percent conshydensation occurs as evidenced by the formation of clouds The tempershyature at which this occurs is called the dew pOint So condensation does not occur when the temperature is above the dew point-either up in the sky or inside an engine crankcase

The droplets of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice water ocshycur because the surface temperature of the glass cools the surrounding air below the dew point and forces atshymospheric water to condense It follows that if you can keep the enshygine temperature above the dew

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

point (with heaters) condensation cannot occur and liquid water would not form the electrolyte-for-elecshytrolytic corrosion

Dear Buck I had a similar experience with

my 55 Cessna 180 to that described by your friends 210 I bought the plane with 1200 hrs on the 0-470 and thought that I might be able to get away with topping cylinders as needed to get to 1500 TBO etc 470s are know for having long-lasting bottom ends

Returning from Sun n Fun in 98 a clatter commenced about SO miles from home I figured it was a colshylapsed lifter (it was) but when the IAIAP pulled the jug the lifter and the cam were severely spalled I wasshynt expecting that The engine did have a hotpad that I did use and the plane was bought from a guy in Maine so Im sure he used the pad a lot We attributed the spalling to

lack of use of the plane (it had last been majored in 83 - 15 years We moved to Mattituck that year and had them put a new remanufacshytured engine in I use a red dragon now for pre-heat because I dont have power at the tie-down Of note the oil pan under the pad was rusted through (pad was holding the oil in) So your AP might be on to someshything

Charlie Zaloom

Hello Buck I just read your piece in the Deshy

cember 2000 Vintage Airplane Metal in the screen While workshying as a mechanic at a shop in western New York we frequently sershyviced a 1979 Cessna 210N This company refurbished this airplane two years previous including of course a major overhaul After sale to its current owner it became based at that field in a non-heated steel hanger with blacktop floor and an

electric engine preheater left on 24-7 during the cold months Approx one year later it was discovered that the camshaft had become severely pitted and rusted After the TSIOshy520-R was torn down for repair owner was advised not to leave his engine preheater on constantly but to instead arrive at the field early to preheat engine on the day of flight Just like a glass of ice water on a hot day the inside of the engine was most likely moist all the time thus causing severe corrosion of internal engine parts More than two years later this very costly condition has not been detected after operating heater as instructed

Sincerely Tim Moore

Next its my fellow V AA board member Bob Brauer

Hi Buck I read the part of your article in

Decembers Vintage Airplane with

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

much interest regarding Metal in the Screen In my opinion the oil pan type electric pad heaters will perform their intended task without problems if they are used properly

Within the past several years (afshyter the earth cooled) I recall reading about this subject in 2 or 3 club magshyazine articles and member letters (I dont recall the dates) on the subject of long term electrical type engine oil pre heat The point is that moisshyture can promote condensation This matches your mechanics opinshyion The clubs magazine articles pOinted out that oil pan heaters will very likely cause moisture to conshydense in the upper and somewhat cooler extremities of the engine inshyternals and promote corrosion

As a result of this information I plug in my oil heater within an hour or two prior to engine start up A conventional hot air treatment reshysults in a quick and easy start up with the all important rapid oil flow Of course the colder it gets the longer the pre heat time The manushyfacturer of my oil heater claims a generous warm-up in an hour but I tend to be conservative regarding their claims Ive experienced a few early morning get-ups at about 0 dark thirty to get to the airport to achieve a good warm-up During the warm up I spend that time in the airport office drinking their coffee so its no big deal

My oil is routinely subjected to analysis and oil filter cut for inspecshytion upon every oil change with no negative results I am satisfied with the engine oil heater on my 182B By the way the next time that I change oil Ill take a whack or two at the particles trapped in the oil filshyter to see what disintegrates and what does not

Thanks again for another wellshywritten practical useful and informative Vintage Airplane article

Over to You Bob Brauer VAA 4319

And from one of the manufacturers

14 FEBRUARY 2001

Dear Buck I enjoyed your article in the Deshy

cember issue concerning metal in the oil screen Since we are the manshyufacturer of SAFE-HEET engine heaters I would like to address your question as to the possibility of enshygine pre-heaters causing internal engine corrosion and related pitting and metal failures

YES your perceptions are correct Engine heaters can cause damage We were in the engine overhaul business when we developed the SAFE-HEET product Our conclushysions from observing internal engine corrosion damage while comparing heater usage situations are as follows

All pre-heaters will accelerate enshygine corrosion if they are left plugged in continuously and the airshycraft is not used for several days

Pre-heaters will not cause damage if the airplane is flown regularly or the heater is only used before flight

Rental and pipeline patrol aircraft dont seem to have any problems with the heaters being continuously plugged in because the engines are run regular enough to keep the enshygines internal surfaces coated with oil and the normal moisture and the associated sulfuric acid in the oil can be to some extent vaporized out of the breather

Using the heater the night before a flight or an hour before a flight causes no harm as exposure time seems to be a large factor in the corshyrosion equation

All brands and types of heaters can cause corrosion damage

The theory that the engine can be kept warm with a pre-heater and therefore no condensation can occur doesnt seem to hold water The change from operating temperatures to pre-heat temperatures is enough to cause moisture and acid condenshysation on susceptible steel parts The normal combustion process in an aircraft engine produces moisture and sulfuric acid (along with other nasty stuff) Some of this mixture is trapped in the crankcase and engine

oil Acids by their very nature are temperature-sensitive when reacting with metals They are dormant at cold temperatures and very aggressive at high temperatures This combined with the fact that oil is more viscous at low temperashytures and takes much longer to run off the oil-coated engine surfaces than warm oil makes a good case for keeping your engine cold until it is needed

As a manufacturer of pre-heaters I wish I could tell you pre-heaters are harmless and should be left on all the time but I would be lying if I did

The root of this problem is that some of the pre-heater manufacturshyers either dont fully understand their product or ignore the limitashytions of their product to further sales They continue to pump out faulty information about the use of their pre-heaters Considering the damage that can be caused by lack of lubrication during a cold start-up pre-heaters are very beneficial and well worth the money when used properly

My hat goes off to you and the readers of Vintage Aircraft for keepshying those glorious old flying machines alive as well as the spirit that created them Future generashytions will surely benefit Keep up the good work

Sincerely David A McFarianeGeneral Manager SAFE-HEET Division McFarlane Aviation Inc

Whew You guys have been busy More comments are coming stay with us

Oh and dont worry-were not about to run out of hot topics to write about Dip Davis and I are scratching our noggins as we work together to comply with the new Aeronca spar Airworthiness Direcshytive Well keep you posted

Over to you

~~~laquo tltlt

-~~i~t~ ~~~

KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

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KEEPING THE FAMILY

WIDG

THE WEIN FAMILY FLIES A FORMER COAST GUARD GRUMMAN J4F-l WIDGEON BY HG FRAUTSCHY

Well-done restorations seem to age well and the Wien family s

Grumman Widgeon has withstood over a decade of operation since its restoration was completed in 1988 Having been in the family since 1981 its now a treasured member of the clan evoking warm memoshyries similar to those for a beloved hunting dog a great vacation or a

favorite hide- COVER STORY away But its --~---- early life was far from hearth and home When it was first built its mission was to help protect the nashytions shores and to rescue those who fought to keep it safe

This particular J4F-1 was ordered by the US Coast Guard in 1941 and delivered just a coup le of months prior to the United States entry into World War II This small amphibian weighing just a little more than half of its big brother the G-21 Goose was a favorite of Grumman President Roy Grumshyman He crewed the first Widgeon test flight with fellow Grumman test pilot Bud Gilles on June 28 1940 NX28633 the one and only XG-44 looked a lot like its big brother with a couple of excepshytions The tail and wingtips were squared off to maximize the amount of area in a given span And instead of radial engines Grumman choose the six-cylinder Fairchild-built Ranger 6-440C-S inshyline as the powerplant of choice The inverted Ranger with its high thrust line helped minimize the amount of spray the props conshytacted during water operations Sixty years later the Ranger-powshyered airframes while very rare are

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

still considered among the best-lookshying airplanes ever built

Before the first production G-44 rolled out of the hangar doors in Bethpage Long Island New York the companys sales office had 10 orshyders for the model A total of 44 Widgeons were built before the buildup of the United States military air fleet resulted in an order for a secshyond batch of G-44s designated the J4F-1 A few of the earlier Widgeons would also be impressed into milishytary service

The entire second batch of 2S airshyplanes was slated for delivery to the US Coast Guard who intended to use the multi-mission capable amshyphibian for patrolling the nations shores as well as for airsea rescue The Wiens Widgeon serial number 1228 was built seventh in that secshyond batch of airplanes It was issued V203 as its service number and served with the Coast Guard for the duration of the war

A follow-up order by the Navy for 106 J4F-2s made for a total of 131 of the J4F series The Coast Guard and

16 JANUARY 2001

KurtWien

Navy aircraft were well suited for their mission A bomb rack was inshystalled on the underside of the starboard wing which could hold one 200-pound depth charge or a specially packaged life raftrescue gear that could be dropped to a pershyson awaiting rescue in the water

A Widgeon fitted for anti-submashyrine patrol was used by the Coast

Guard to score the first U-boat kill On August I 1942 chief aviation pishylot Henry C White assigned to Patrol Squadron 212 of Houma Louisiana bombed and sank U-166 in the Gulf of Mexico near the delta of the Mississippi River That airshyplane since modified with the installation of flat-opposed Lyshycoming engines is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida

Over its lO-year production life at the Grumman plant a total of 276 Widgeons were built (with 41 more built to one extent or another by the French firm SCAN) After the war the Navy and Coast Guard released their Widgeons and they were disshyposed of by the War Assets Administration Prized as both comshymercial and private aircraft the airplanes have long had a loyal folshylowing even after it has been acknowledged that their water hanshydling characteristics can be challenging

The conventional wisdom on the Grumman series of amphibians

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

is that the larger they are the easier they are to handle on the water The only knock on the prewar and wartime Widgeons (besides marginal single-engine performance with the original 200-hp Ranger engines and fixed-pitch wood props) was their tendency to porpoise if the nose of the airplane was dropped too sudshydenly while on the water Kurt Wien and his father Merrill both acknowlshyedge that the airplane will oscillate in pitch when operating on the washyter if attention is not paid to the correct attitude but both will quickly add that with proper training and practice the Widgeon is a joy to fly

After V203 was sold on the civilshyian market it bounced around for a short while until George Lambros of New Jersey put it into service as a twin-engine seaplane trainer Many pilots who earned their twin-engine sea wings did so in this Widgeon at the famed Lambros Seaplane base in Ridgefield Park New Jersey The base located on the Hackensack River was just a few miles east-northshyeast of Teterboro Airport Now simply known as Ridgefield its listed as a private seaplane base

All that training activity took its toll on the airframe and by the time Merrill Wien was able to purchase the airplane in 1981 the fuselage had become a flying project It didshynt look too bad when he first bought it but as so often happens a closer inspection revealed some work needed to be done

We thought Itll take some work maybe six months Kurt Wien recalls Weve all heard that before The wings and tail were in pretty good shape but the complexshyity and amount of work to be done to the fuselage plus the retrofit of a pair of different propellers took over

(Above) The cockpit of the Wiens Widgeon shows its flight training heritage with dual controls installed when it was used as a twin-engine seaplane trainer at the famous Lambros Seaplane base located on the Hackensack River in New Jersey (Below) The six-cylinder Ranger engines are among aviashytions sleekest installations With constantshyspeed Hartzell props the amphibians takeshyoff performance is much improved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

six years to complete Merrill Wien had owned one Widshy

geon before this one a Super Widgeon equipped with geared Lyshycoming engines It had also seen service with the government during the war serving with the Civil Air Patrol He admits selling it was a mistake for he wanted another one to replace it almost right away

Merrill is the grandson of Wien Alaska Airways founder Noel Wien a pioneering bush pilot who put toshygether one of the most well-known airlines in the world flying a mixshyture of aircraft that ranged from the Ford Tri-Motor to the C-46 with a

liberal sprinkling of light aircraft in the middle He taught his son Merrill to fly and Merrill passed along the tradition to his two sons Kurt and Kent Both are airline pilots Kurt a 767 captain for American Airlines and Kent a pilot for American Airshylines Their sister Kim is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines

Merrill and his mechanically inshyclined friend Pat Prociv did the restoration with grunt work help from Kent and Kurt Stripping paint unscrewing this and cleaning up that were the fun parts the boys enshyjoyed But Pat who holds an AampP certificate with an inspection authoshy

rization and Merrill did the bulk of the work

Since it was an original airframe Merrill weighed the pros and cons of revising the engine installation The geared Lycoming engine conversions were having their own set of probshylems with parts availability and the more he looked at the original Ranger engines the more he realized the airplanes performance wasnt lacking because it needed more horsepower What it needed was a pair of constant-speed propellers He also points out that parts for the Rangers are not an insurmountable problem One surprising detail that

The early color schemes of the World War II era were pretty bright with plenty of yellow to help identify US airplanes Soon after the United States declared war the schemes became much more subdued Even the Coast Guard schemes which mirrored the Navy livery changed over time Merrill Wien chose to paint his Widgeon with the same colors the airframe had when it was first rolled out of the hangar doors at Grummans Bethpage Long Island factory

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

The famous Grumman landing gear geometry proved itself tough over a wide range of airplanes from the J2F Duck to the F4F Wildcat and a number of other models as well In different sizes the gear was common to all the Grumman amphibious aircraft

came to light during research on this article is the number of G-44 and Gshy44A Widgeons that are still registered as having the Ranger engine installashytion It seems as though you rarely see one yet the FAA registration records show that of 72 G-44 airshyframes still registered 26 show Ranger engines and of the 47 entries for the G-44A five show Rangers Certainly most of those aircraft with Ranger engines are not flying at this time so the actual number is less but theres still a number of Widshygeons out there with the inline engine installation Kurt Wien menshytioned that he thinks there are about four or five Ranger-powered Widshygeons actually flying

Retaining the 200-hp Rangers Pat and Merrill worked on getting a field approval by the FAA for the installashytion of a pair of Hartze ll constant-speed full-feathering proshypellers Made of composite materials with a stainless steel leading edge the Hartzells are holding up exshytremely well with littl e wear showing on the blades after 600 hours of operation

One of the reasons the Wiens Widgeon performs as well as it does was their conscious effort to keep the airplane light It can be pretty easy to see where adding a few pounds to a Cub will cut into its useshyfulload and performance but its not so obvious on a larger twin-enshygine airplane like the Widgeon The decision to not include lots of inteshyrior upholstery and wall panels gives the airplane a nice takeoff and climb performance and the installation of the Hartzell constant-speed props alshylows the Rangers to turn up to maximum power on the takeoff run as well as more margin for single-enshygine performance

There are modifications available

to allow for a higher gross weight but Merrill chose to keep the airshyplane at the original maximum gross weight of 4525 pounds When they completed the restoration Widgeon NC1340V came in with an empty weight of 3300 pounds just a hair more than the original 3240 pounds A major part of that 760shypound weight gain can be attributed to the new propeller installation versus the original fixed-pitch wood props

With its completion in 1988 the Widgeon was put on flight status from its home base at Port Angeles Washington averaging a little more than 50 hours of flight time each year The paint scheme on the airshyplane identical to the paint it carried in the early stages of the war (later during its military service it wore dark blue paint) still looks great over 11 years later

Both of Merrills sons Kurt and Kent have flown and checked out in the Widgeon with Kurt checking out in it over eight years ago and Kent getting his checkout in it too When dad started making noises about selling the airplane Kurt heard the wake-up call loud and clear

He rearranged a few priorities in his life and bought the airplane from Dad moving it from its base on the West Coast to near his home in West Ossipee New Hampshire not too far northeast of Lake Winnipesaukee For now its based at the former Pease Air Force base in Portsmouth until his hangar at Windsock Vilshylage a residential airpark is done To say hes doubly thrilled would be a real understatement First and foreshymost he now owns an airplane his dad restored and the added bonus is that its a Widgeon which hes alshyways wanted to own Hell even get the chance to fly it with his primary instructor Don Simonds who also flew the airplane many years ago Nowa commercial pilot Don lives not too far from Kurt across the borshyder in Vermont Wed bet this airplane will quickly become a familshyiar sight at the many seaplane bases throughout New England ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US DURshy~_ ING THE PAST DECADE WILL RECALL A

BEAUTIFUL CUSTOMIZED GRUMMAN Gshy44A WE DETAILED IN THE FEBRUARY 1993J SUE

~~ OF VINJAGE AIRPLANE JOHN AND liNDA SCHWAMM WERE THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW RESTORATION BUT WHEN AN OFFER WAS MADE SOME YEARS LATER THAT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO RESIST JOHN LET IT GO AND SURPRISE HE INSTANTLY REGRmED SELLING IT

THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR ANOTHER WIDGEON (THIS ONE WOULD BE HIS THIRDgt HE KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS ONEPARTICULAR G-44A HAVING BEEN OWNED OR ANUMBER OF YEARS BY SUPERIOR OIL COMPANY [THATS HOW THEIR NAME IS ON THEIR WEBSITEl AND LATER BY HOCKEY STAR TIM HORTONS DONUT COMPANY WHEN JOHN CAUGHT UP WITH IT DURING HIS SEARCH IT WAS OWNED BY AGOOD FRIEND OF HIS AN ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT WHO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE MOOD TO SEll THE AMPHIBIAN AmR OWNING IT FOR 10 YEARS

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

A very flyable airplane John and Linda flew it for a year before taking it to Victoria Air Maintenance in Victoria British Columbia The award-winning staff there got to work on the G-44A serial number 1473 one of the 76 (including the XG-44A) built between 1945 and 1949 Well known in the warbird community for their restoration of a T-28 and a T-2 Buckeye jet they did most of the work with additional work done by F Atlee Dodge in Anshychorage Alaska (the lightweight cabin folding seats) and longtime

22 FEBRUARY 2001

Widgeon owner and restorer George Pappas whose sheet metal expertise was put to use by building a new set of spray rails and a set of spinner back plates and by re-skinning the bottoms of a pair of round-top tip floats

This particular Widgeon was the fourth from the last one built and it had round-top floats installed when delivered But at some point one or both of them were damaged and the older flat-skin versions were inshystalled George also had to work out a few wrinkles in the top of the

A much lighter more utilitarian interior allows John and Linda to use the airplane for camping trips and other excursions The F Atlee Dodge folding seats are lightweight and stow easily To help keep the weight of the airplane down John had Boeing honeyshycomb material used for the floorboards The cockpit carried the simple theme as well Isnt it great how so much avionics capability now takes up so little room

floats originally built in the factory at Bethpage using a stretch press to create a pair of skins that gracefully curved from nose to tail

While the Widgeon we wrote about eight years ago was a very cusshytomized airplane complete with 295-hp Lycoming engines and reshytractable-tip floats John really wanted this airplane to be closer to the original He too chose to keep the interior as light as he could

One of the new materials he used was Boeing surplus honeycomb mashyterial for the floorboards Eschewing the retractable-tip float conversion that is one of the McKinnon convershysion details he stayed with the fixed-tip float installation John said the speed cost was only 3-5 mph and the added 100 pounds of the reshytractable floats just wasnt worth it

The two other Widgeons he has owned had an empty weight in the neighborhood of 4200-4300 pounds He was shooting for 3900 pounds for this airplane and its just slightly over that

The F Atlee Dodge seats are very lightweight as well Designed for Goose and Widgeon operators who often use the cabin to haul cargo and other bulky items the seats cershytainly are not leather-trimmed recliners for the ultimate in passenshyger comfort They quickly fold up out of the way Most Widgeons are set up as five- or six-place airplanes with two seats in the cabin facing forward and one or two seats facing aft from their mounting on the wheel wells Johns airplane has the six-place seating four aft and two in the cockpit with the throw-over yoke A few Widgeons including the airplane featured on the previous

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

pages have been modified with dual controls so the airplanes could be used for twin-engine flight instrucshytion

The engines on this particular McKinnon conversion are 270-hp Lycomings with three-blade props to help keep the tips out of much of the water spray John prefers the modification that retains the

rounded aft cowling from the Ranger engines which gives the airplanes new cowls a rounder more pleasing look The added power and lighter weight than some of the other Widshygeons gives this one great takeoff performance-it will take off from a standing start in the water in about eight seconds and the initial rate of climb is 2000 fpm which settles

(Top and Left Photo) A custom color scheme highlights the gentle curves of the Widgeon With fixed-tip floats and a twoshypiece windshield the restoration retains much of the original airplanes appeal (Right Photo) John Schwamm

down to a very pleasing 1500 fpm John agrees with what the Wiens

point out about flying the Widgeon A first time seaplane pilot would be

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

successful flying other seaplanes first before being trained in the little Grumman as he points out that the airplane behaves like nothing else that flies

There really is nothing like it You shouldnt start out in a Widshygeon in the water period he mentions It would be a lot easier I am sure in a Goose

The first time he flew a Widgeon he had 800 hours of floatplane time most of it in a Helio Courier on

Johns second Widgeon restoration which we profiled in the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane A very cusshytomized airplane it featured a more luxurious interior retractable-tip floats and 295shyhp Lycoming engines It now belongs to an owner on the East Coast of the United States

floats The float experishyence helped a bit with water operations but since a flying boat is in

many respects nothing like a floatshyplane an entire transition program to the Widgeon was in order Havshying flown three of them as the ownerpilot John says that each one has its own personality on the water and that he never takes the airshyplanes handling for granted The airplanes ability is one of a kind he points out

You start looking at any alternashytive airplane and there is just nothing like it And you cant really

come close to what it is John adds The paint scheme for the new

restoration is similar to the second Widgeon but with much brighter colors Echoing and embellishing on the original Widgeons scheme the curved lines follow the smooth conshytours of the airframe He tried to put the original N number on the airshyplane but the owner of the airplane wouldnt take Johns offer to pay for a new paint job in exchange for the number His previous airplane was N144GW so he asked the FAA for N244GW [Should it be N244GW] Without the original number he didnt feel particularly bound to keep the color scheme strictly as it was when the airplane was first delivered

Since John and Linda now split their time between Alaska and Arishyzona dont be surprised if you see the airplane all over the western half of North America After all there are few places a Widgeon cant visit

The Quality Goes In Before The Tag Goes On

Reduce Engine Maintenance Costs RECONDITIONING AND OVERHAUL SERVICES INCLUDE

CRANKSHAFT GRINDING ROCKER ARMS STARTER ADAPTERS CRANKSHAFT BALANCING TAPPET BODIES ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS CAMSHAFT GRINDING COUNTERWEIGHTS CUSTOM MACHINING CONNECTING RODS MAGNAFLUXING PLATING

Aircraft Specialties Services is the industry leader for reconditioning and remachining key components of piston aircraft engines Camshaft Crankshafts Counterweights Connecting Rods any steel parts can be reconditioned saving you time and money plus ask about our new certified digital crankshaft balancing process

At Aircraft Specialties Services the quality really does go in before the tag goes on We ~~ also handle a broad line of New Aircraft Parts and hard to find used paris so - -~- give us a call today~~

sectjlt-~ ~~~lt- 1middot800middot826middot9252 ~- shy

~~ wwwaircraft-specialtiescom ~~ = A_

gt ~l~~nc - ~

24 FEBRUARY 2001

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING by HG Frautschy

DANISH PIPER L-4H After five years of restoration this 1943 Piper L-4H OY-DHN

serial number 43-29774 looks like a new aircraft The restoration was completed in Denmark by the fatherson team of Henry Schou (shown in the cockpit) Esbjerg Denmark and Finn Schou (EAA 362178) of Heming Denmark

This L-4H was built at Pipers Lock Haven Pennsylvania plant on December 10 1943 and delivered to the USAAF on the same date It departed the United States in January 1944 for service with the 8th Air Force in England It was dropped from invenshytory in May 1946 having never returned to the United States

Congratulations to Henry and Finn on a beautiful job of restoring a L-4H Grasshopper

GRIGGS STINSON V-77 Billy Griggs V AA 29025 of Liberal Kansas first flew

his newly restored 1943 Stinson V-77 Gullwing this past November It had been on display in the air mushyseum there in Liberal for the past 8-12 years In excellent condition mechanically nevertheless the entire airframe was stripped and primed with twoshypart epoxy paint by Billys son Greg The instrument panel was overhauled and a solid walnut overlay added to the panel New upholstery and a full suite of avionics completed the interior and Ceconite 101 finished with Randolph Ranthane was used to cover the airframe Billy must have really enjoyed this his first project for hes looking for another airplane to restore

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

February Mystery Plane

This months Mystery Plane comes to us from a batch of intershyesting and rare airplane photos supplied by Ralph Nortell The jaunty-looking cabin on this smaller monoplane is quite unusual no doubt an attempt to give the pilot good visibility over the nose

Send your answer to EAA Vinshytage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your anshyswer needs to be in no later than March 15 2001 for inclusion in the May issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to vintageeaaorg

Be sure to include both your name and address (especially your city and state) in the body of your note and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line

Novembers Mystery Plane supshyplied by Pete Bowers was a bit of a stumper for many But not for Ralph NorteU Spokane Washingshyton Heres what he wrote

Gentlemen The November Mystery Plane was

civilian entry No2 in the 1927 Nashytional Air Races held September

26 FEBRUARY 2001

by HG Frautschy

Yackey Monoplane

February Mystery Plane

This months Mystery Plane comes to us from a batch of intershyesting and rare airplane photos supplied by Ralph Nortell The jaunty-looking cabin on this smaller monoplane is quite unusual no doubt an attempt to give the pilot good visibility over the nose

Send your answer to EAA Vinshytage Airplane PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Your anshyswer needs to be in no later than March 15 2001 for inclusion in the May issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via e-mail Send your answer to vintageeaaorg

Be sure to include both your name and address (especially your city and state) in the body of your note and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line

Novembers Mystery Plane supshyplied by Pete Bowers was a bit of a stumper for many But not for Ralph NorteU Spokane Washingshyton Heres what he wrote

Gentlemen The November Mystery Plane was

civilian entry No2 in the 1927 Nashytional Air Races held September

26 FEBRUARY 2001

by HG Frautschy

Yackey Monoplane

(Above) Another view of our Mystery Plane the Yackey monoshyplane registered as (-1296 It was one of the two Yackeys that were civilian entries in the National Air Races held September 19-25 1927 at Felts Field Spokane Washington

(Right) (-672 was the other particishypant of the National Air Races Both Yackeys were powered by a 220-hp Wright Whirlwind J-5 engine Photos are courtesy of the Ralph Nortell collection

19-25 at Felts Field Spokane Washshyington Alternately referred to as the Yackey Monoplane and Yackey Sport entry No2 (C-1296) joined Sport enshytry No7 (C-672) in the big Spokane event In the Air Derby event Class A from New York to Spokane entry No7 piloted by E Hamilton Lee placed fifth and entry No2 piloted by Earl Rusty Campbell pla ced sixth Both entries continued to make fa vorable showings at Felts Field in various events during the remainder of the week

In adverti sements at the tim e

Yackey Aircraft Co claimed to be one of th e oldest fl ying schools in th e United States operating Checkerboard Flying Field at Forest Park Illinois Aircraft Yearbook for 1927 lists Yackey Aircraft Co Maywood Illinois as manufacturers of Yack ey Sports Yackey Transports and Yackey Monoshyplanes and as providers of all fixed-base flying services WA Yackey IT was president and manager

Th e original Yack ey Sp ort was a modified OX-5 conversion of a Thomas Mors e Scout assembled by Tony Yackey and Walter Addems

and flown by Addems in the 1925 Ford Reliability Air Tour Ton y Yack ey wa s reported to have been killed in the crash of SportMonoplane C-1296 some time after the 1927 Nashytional Races Perhaps it was due to this tragic Loss that there is no mention of Yack ey Co activities in aviation journaLs after 1927

Sincerely Ralph Nortell VAA 4607 A correct answer was also received

from Gilbert Halpin Stormville New York via e-mail

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

Fly-In Calendar The fo llowing list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter ofinformation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direction ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed Please send the information to EAA Att Vintage Airshyplane Po Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Information should be receivedfour months prior to the event date

FEBR UA RY II - Mondovi WI -Ski Fly-In at Log Cabin Airport Info 715287-4205

FEBRUARY 24-25 - Riverside (Rubidoux) CA - EAA Ch One s 48th Annual Fly-In F1a-Bob Airport A ttendees coming to this years fly-in will be greeted by anew full-field-length runway paved ramp and new taxiway Info 909682-6236 (Leave name phone amp address)

MA RCH 1-3 - Kalispell MT - Montana Aviation Conference at Cavanaughs Outlaw Inn Workshyshops seminars nationaly recognized speakers trade show Info Montana Aeronautics Div 406444-2506

MARCH 2-4 - Casa Grande AZ - 43rd Annual Cacshytus Fly-In at Casa Grande Airport sponsored by the Arizona Antique Aircraft Association 1nfo John Engle 480987-5516 or www americanpilotorgcactus

MA RCH 4- Santa Paula CA - Flyn Swapm eet 9 am - 5 pm Sel or buy Antique engine auction Antique airplane displays 1nfo 805525-5893

APRIL 1- Santa Paula CA - April Fools Day Reshygional Luscombe Fly-In sanctioned by Continellal Luscombe Association Info 805642-3315

APRIL 8-14 - Lakeland FL - Sun N Fun EAA FlyshyIn Info wwwsrm-nfunorg

MA Y 5 - Wiscasset ME - Katahdin Wings 99s host Maine Poker Run Info Ann at 207-882-5475

MA Y 6- Santa Paula CA - Piper Cub Fly-In in conshyjunction with Santa Paula Airport First Sunday of the Month Fly-ln Info 805525-708

MA Y 6 - Rockford 1L - EAA Ch 22 Fly-InDrive-1n Breakfast at Greater Rockford Airport Courtesy Aircraft Hangar Info 815397-4995

MA Y 6 - Dayton OH - EAA Ch 48 38th Annual Funshyday Sunday Fly-In Breakfast Fly market awards lunch vendors and much more Sat night free camping with things to see and do Lots ofanshytiques on the field Moraine A ir Park Info 937291-1225 or 937859-8967

MA Y 12 - Rock Hil SC - Wings amp Wheels Day FlyshyInDrive-In Lunch available Info 803329-4454

MA Y 18-20 - Columbia CA - 25th Annual Gathering ofLuscombes 2001 Aircraft judging spot landing andflour bombing competilions and the 9th Anshynual Great Luscombe Clock Race Info 360893-5303 or 253630-1086

MA Y 19-20 - Winchester VA - EAA Ch 186 Spring Fly-In at Winchester Regional Airport (OKV) from

28 FEBRUARY 2001

8 am - 5 pm Pancake breakfast 8 an1 - 11 am Static display ofvarious aircraft airplane and heshylicopter rides available demos aircraft judging childrens play area and ongoing activities Conshycessions souvenirs and good food Info Ms Tangy Mooney 703 780-6329 or EAAI86 netscape net

MA Y 20 - Niles MI - VAA Ch 35 Hog Roast Lunshycheon at Niles Airport (3TR) Info 616683-9642 or bobjacksontritonnet

MAY 20 - Warwick NY - EAA Ch 501 Annual Fly-In at Warwick Aerodrome (N72) 1000 am - 400 pm Unicom advisory frequency is 1230 Food will be available and trophies will be awardedfor the different classes ofaircraft Registration for judging closes at 200 pm Info Michael Manishyatis 212-620-0398

MA Y 20 - Romeoville IL (LOT) - EAA Ch 15 Fly-In Breakfast 7 am - Noon at Lewis Romeoville Airshyport Info Frank 815436-6153

MA Y 25-27 - Watsonville CA - EAA Ch 119 s 37th Annual Fly-In amp Air Show Info 831-763-5600

MAY 26 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Aiport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast Fly-InDrive-In 8 am - 2 pm (Rain date May 27) Lunch items and airplane rides available af ter 11 am Info 720454-0003

JUNE 1-2 - Merced CA - 44th Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In at Merced Airport Info Virginia or Ed Morford 209383-4632

JUNE 3 - DeKalb 1L (DKB) - 37th Annual EAA Ch 241 Fly-InDrive-In Breakfast 7am - Noon Info Ed Torbett 815895-3888

JUNE 3 - St Ignace MI Airporl - EAA Ch 560 Anshynual Fly-InDrive In Steak OUI Noon - 4 pm Public welcome Info 23I1627-6409 or 231-238shy0914

JUNE 9-10 - Petersburg-Dinwiddie VA - Virginia State EAA Fly-In

JUNE 23-24 - Longmont CO - Rocky Mountain EAA Fly-In

JUNE 23 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA Ch 425 Pancake Breakfast Fly-InDrive-In 8 am - 2 pm (Rain date June 24) Lunch items and airplane rides available after 11 am Info Don 740454-0003

JULY II-I5 - Arlington WA - Northwest EAA Fly-In

JULY 22 - Zanesville OH (Parr Aiport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Pre-Oshkosh Fly-lnDrive-br Pancake

Breakfast 8 am - 2 pm Lunch items and airshyplane rides available after 11 am Info Don 740454-0003

JULY 24-30 - Oshkosh WI -AirVenture Oshkosh 2001 Wittmall Airport IlIfo 9201426-4800 wwwairvellture org

JULY 27 - Oshkosh Wl- Stinson Lunch at Oshkosh I 130 am meet at the Vintage RedBamforafree short bus ride to GolfCentral Restaurant Pay on your own at the restaurant Sign up in Type Tent or call 630904-6964

AUGUST 5 - Queell City MO - 14th Annual Watershymelon Fly- In at Applegate Airport Info 660-766-2644

AUGUST 11 - Cadillac MI - EAA Ch 678 FlyshyInDrive-In Breakfast at Wexford County Airport (CAD) 730am - Il OOam Info 2J3779-8Jl3

AUGUST I9 -Dayton OH - EAA Ch 48 Pancake Breakfast at Moraine Airpark Info 937291-1225 or 937859-8967

SEPTEMBER 1 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Labor Day Weekend FlyshyIII Drive- In 8 am - 2pm Lunch items and airplane rides available after 1I am Info

SEPTEMBER 2 - Mondovi WI - 15th Annual Fly-In at Log Cabin Airport Info 7J 5287-4205

SEPTEMBER 7-9 - Sacramento CA - Golden West EAA Fly-In

SEPTEMBER 7-9 - Marion OH - Mid-Eastern EAA Fly-In

SEPTEMBER 14-16 - Watertown WI (RYV) - 17th Annual Byron Smith Memorial Midwest Stinson Reunion Info Nick or Suzette 630904-6964

SEPTEMBER 21-22 - Abilene TX - Southwest EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 5-7 - Toughkenamon PA - East Coast EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 5-7 - Evergreen AL - Southeast EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 11-14 - Mesa AZ - Copperstate EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 13-14 - Winchester VA - EAA Ch 186 Fall Fly-In will be held at the Winchester Regional Airport (OKV) from 8 am - 5 pm Pancake breakfast 8 - 11 am Static display ofvarious airshycraft airplane and helicopter rides available demos aircraft judging children s play area and ongoing activities Concessions souveilirs and goodfood Info Ms Tangy Mooney 703780shy6329 or EAAI86netscapenet

Fly-In Calendar The fo llowing list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter ofinformation only and does not constitute approval sponsorship involvement control or direction ofany event (fly-in seminars fly market etc) listed Please send the information to EAA Att Vintage Airshyplane Po Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Information should be receivedfour months prior to the event date

FEBR UA RY II - Mondovi WI -Ski Fly-In at Log Cabin Airport Info 715287-4205

FEBRUARY 24-25 - Riverside (Rubidoux) CA - EAA Ch One s 48th Annual Fly-In F1a-Bob Airport A ttendees coming to this years fly-in will be greeted by anew full-field-length runway paved ramp and new taxiway Info 909682-6236 (Leave name phone amp address)

MA RCH 1-3 - Kalispell MT - Montana Aviation Conference at Cavanaughs Outlaw Inn Workshyshops seminars nationaly recognized speakers trade show Info Montana Aeronautics Div 406444-2506

MARCH 2-4 - Casa Grande AZ - 43rd Annual Cacshytus Fly-In at Casa Grande Airport sponsored by the Arizona Antique Aircraft Association 1nfo John Engle 480987-5516 or www americanpilotorgcactus

MA RCH 4- Santa Paula CA - Flyn Swapm eet 9 am - 5 pm Sel or buy Antique engine auction Antique airplane displays 1nfo 805525-5893

APRIL 1- Santa Paula CA - April Fools Day Reshygional Luscombe Fly-In sanctioned by Continellal Luscombe Association Info 805642-3315

APRIL 8-14 - Lakeland FL - Sun N Fun EAA FlyshyIn Info wwwsrm-nfunorg

MA Y 5 - Wiscasset ME - Katahdin Wings 99s host Maine Poker Run Info Ann at 207-882-5475

MA Y 6- Santa Paula CA - Piper Cub Fly-In in conshyjunction with Santa Paula Airport First Sunday of the Month Fly-ln Info 805525-708

MA Y 6 - Rockford 1L - EAA Ch 22 Fly-InDrive-1n Breakfast at Greater Rockford Airport Courtesy Aircraft Hangar Info 815397-4995

MA Y 6 - Dayton OH - EAA Ch 48 38th Annual Funshyday Sunday Fly-In Breakfast Fly market awards lunch vendors and much more Sat night free camping with things to see and do Lots ofanshytiques on the field Moraine A ir Park Info 937291-1225 or 937859-8967

MA Y 12 - Rock Hil SC - Wings amp Wheels Day FlyshyInDrive-In Lunch available Info 803329-4454

MA Y 18-20 - Columbia CA - 25th Annual Gathering ofLuscombes 2001 Aircraft judging spot landing andflour bombing competilions and the 9th Anshynual Great Luscombe Clock Race Info 360893-5303 or 253630-1086

MA Y 19-20 - Winchester VA - EAA Ch 186 Spring Fly-In at Winchester Regional Airport (OKV) from

28 FEBRUARY 2001

8 am - 5 pm Pancake breakfast 8 an1 - 11 am Static display ofvarious aircraft airplane and heshylicopter rides available demos aircraft judging childrens play area and ongoing activities Conshycessions souvenirs and good food Info Ms Tangy Mooney 703 780-6329 or EAAI86 netscape net

MA Y 20 - Niles MI - VAA Ch 35 Hog Roast Lunshycheon at Niles Airport (3TR) Info 616683-9642 or bobjacksontritonnet

MAY 20 - Warwick NY - EAA Ch 501 Annual Fly-In at Warwick Aerodrome (N72) 1000 am - 400 pm Unicom advisory frequency is 1230 Food will be available and trophies will be awardedfor the different classes ofaircraft Registration for judging closes at 200 pm Info Michael Manishyatis 212-620-0398

MA Y 20 - Romeoville IL (LOT) - EAA Ch 15 Fly-In Breakfast 7 am - Noon at Lewis Romeoville Airshyport Info Frank 815436-6153

MA Y 25-27 - Watsonville CA - EAA Ch 119 s 37th Annual Fly-In amp Air Show Info 831-763-5600

MAY 26 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Aiport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast Fly-InDrive-In 8 am - 2 pm (Rain date May 27) Lunch items and airplane rides available af ter 11 am Info 720454-0003

JUNE 1-2 - Merced CA - 44th Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In at Merced Airport Info Virginia or Ed Morford 209383-4632

JUNE 3 - DeKalb 1L (DKB) - 37th Annual EAA Ch 241 Fly-InDrive-In Breakfast 7am - Noon Info Ed Torbett 815895-3888

JUNE 3 - St Ignace MI Airporl - EAA Ch 560 Anshynual Fly-InDrive In Steak OUI Noon - 4 pm Public welcome Info 23I1627-6409 or 231-238shy0914

JUNE 9-10 - Petersburg-Dinwiddie VA - Virginia State EAA Fly-In

JUNE 23-24 - Longmont CO - Rocky Mountain EAA Fly-In

JUNE 23 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA Ch 425 Pancake Breakfast Fly-InDrive-In 8 am - 2 pm (Rain date June 24) Lunch items and airplane rides available after 11 am Info Don 740454-0003

JULY II-I5 - Arlington WA - Northwest EAA Fly-In

JULY 22 - Zanesville OH (Parr Aiport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Pre-Oshkosh Fly-lnDrive-br Pancake

Breakfast 8 am - 2 pm Lunch items and airshyplane rides available after 11 am Info Don 740454-0003

JULY 24-30 - Oshkosh WI -AirVenture Oshkosh 2001 Wittmall Airport IlIfo 9201426-4800 wwwairvellture org

JULY 27 - Oshkosh Wl- Stinson Lunch at Oshkosh I 130 am meet at the Vintage RedBamforafree short bus ride to GolfCentral Restaurant Pay on your own at the restaurant Sign up in Type Tent or call 630904-6964

AUGUST 5 - Queell City MO - 14th Annual Watershymelon Fly- In at Applegate Airport Info 660-766-2644

AUGUST 11 - Cadillac MI - EAA Ch 678 FlyshyInDrive-In Breakfast at Wexford County Airport (CAD) 730am - Il OOam Info 2J3779-8Jl3

AUGUST I9 -Dayton OH - EAA Ch 48 Pancake Breakfast at Moraine Airpark Info 937291-1225 or 937859-8967

SEPTEMBER 1 - Zanesville OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA Ch 425 Annual Labor Day Weekend FlyshyIII Drive- In 8 am - 2pm Lunch items and airplane rides available after 1I am Info

SEPTEMBER 2 - Mondovi WI - 15th Annual Fly-In at Log Cabin Airport Info 7J 5287-4205

SEPTEMBER 7-9 - Sacramento CA - Golden West EAA Fly-In

SEPTEMBER 7-9 - Marion OH - Mid-Eastern EAA Fly-In

SEPTEMBER 14-16 - Watertown WI (RYV) - 17th Annual Byron Smith Memorial Midwest Stinson Reunion Info Nick or Suzette 630904-6964

SEPTEMBER 21-22 - Abilene TX - Southwest EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 5-7 - Toughkenamon PA - East Coast EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 5-7 - Evergreen AL - Southeast EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 11-14 - Mesa AZ - Copperstate EAA Fly-In

OCTOBER 13-14 - Winchester VA - EAA Ch 186 Fall Fly-In will be held at the Winchester Regional Airport (OKV) from 8 am - 5 pm Pancake breakfast 8 - 11 am Static display ofvarious airshycraft airplane and helicopter rides available demos aircraft judging children s play area and ongoing activities Concessions souveilirs and goodfood Info Ms Tangy Mooney 703780shy6329 or EAAI86netscapenet

- Diamond from page 8

mond A propeller blank of ash was BUILDERS WORKSHOP soon laminated the propeller proshyfiles at selected stations determined Greensboro NC and the carving began After untold February 17-18 2001 hours of handwork the raw wood

bull Sheet Metal bull Whats Involved in Kit Building was turned into a beautiful example bull Fabric Covering bull Gas Welding of a Paragon propeller the type used bull Electrical Systems bull CompOSite Construction on the Diamond The replica prop bull Engine Installation and Avionics even has the correct decal installed bull Introduction to Aircraft Building on each blade By this time the enshy

gine had been fitted to the airframe and the radiators mounted to their EAA MEMBER $209-$289 NON-MEMBER $234-$314 supports Again all parts fit preshy Saturday evening-Whafs Involved In Kit Building$30

cisely the new with the old One of the innovative design feashy

tures of the Curtiss-Type aeroplane is the ability to remove and install the outer wing sections as a comshy HANDS-ON plete unit allowing for easy transportation and storage The WELDING original builders had also incorposhyrated this feature which may be WORKSHOP seen in an old photograph in the

Spend 2 12 days at our TIGGriffin Georgia Diamond design The restoration Welding Workshops team was able to make use of this March 2-4 2001 feature and assembled the comshy

EAA MEMBERS NON-MEMBERS $289-$349 $314-$374pleted outer wing sections and fine-tuned all of the wire bracing beshyfore the wings were attached to the aeroplane The entire center section with the canard aft stabilizer and BUILDERS WORKSHOPrudder was complete ly assembled with all wire bracing fine-tuned The Pittsburgh PA final mating of the outer wing panshy March 3-42001els including ailerons to the center section would occur in the museum bull Basic Sheet Metal bull Whats Involved in Kit Building

bull Fabric Covering bull Elect rical Systems and Avionics gallery itself The Hiller Aviation Museum loshy bull Composite Construction

cated on the San Carlos Airport will bull Gas Welding bull Introduct ion to Aircraft Building offiCially unveil the new exhibit

February 24-25 2001 There will be experts on hand the entire weekend EAAMEMBERS $209-$289 NON-MEMBERS $234-$314 to discuss the history and recreation Saturday evening-Whafs Involved In Kit Building$30

of the Diamond

For more information contact IIR1J~~ 800middot967middot5746 The Hiller Aviation Museum W0 R KSH 0 PS wwwsportaircom

601 Skyway Road ~ Call or log-on for our complete workshop calendar EAASan Carlos CA 94070

Under EAAs leadership Phone (650) 654-0200 bull these workshops are Fax (650) 654-0220 better than ever

bull bull Ron AlexandershyE-mail museumhillerorg

Aircraft Coatingsworkshop developer

Proud Sponsors of EAA SportAir Workshops Web address wwwhillerorg

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

VINTAGE TRADER ~ 7

Something to buy sell or trade Classified Word Ads $550 per 10 words 180 words maximum with boldJace lead-in onfirst line Classified Display Ads One column wide (2 167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at $20 per inch Black and white only and no Jrequency discounts Advertising Closing Dates 10th ojsecond month prior to desired issue date (ie January 10 is the closing date Jar the March issue) V AA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies Rates cover one insertion per issue Classified ads are not accepted via phone Payment must accompany order Word ads may be sent via Jax (9201426-4828) or e-mail (classadseaaorg) using credit card payment (VISA or MasterCard) Include name on card complete address type ojcard card number and expiration date Make checks payable to EAA Address advertising corresponshydence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager PD Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings main bearings camshaft beatings master rods valves Call us Toll Free 1800233-6934 e-mail ramremfgaolcom Web site wwwramenginecom VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS N 604 FREYA ST SPOKANE WA 99202

AIRCRAFT FABRICS - Imported Unen Certificated Grade A Cotton Tapes - Straight and pinked For an 18-18 sample send $1000 Contact for price list Vintage Aero Fabrics Ltd 18 Joumeys End Mendon VT 05701 USA Tel 802-786-0705 Fax 802-786-2129 E-mail wwwavclothcom

WANTED -1950s era McCulloch radial two-cycle engines (aircraft) also known as Umbaugh autogyro engines Radial design with even number of cylinders Complete engines or crankcase and misc parts Send info or picture if possible to Joe Hicks P O Box 159 Fisherville KY 40023 502-649-5833

WANTED - Aviation magazines from 1920s 30s amp 40s Air News or similar types single magazines or sets Mail info or call J D Hicks PO Box 159 Fisherville KY 40023 502-649-5833

TN GNLY ~n WAYTG G~ YG

Of course if you plan to fJ~ it the etUiest way is stiD Poly-Ylber ~hy Poly~fiber Because for 30 years builders have followed our easy steps and achieved safe truly superlative long-lasting results And Poly-fiber products are painstakingly manufactured and proven over time Our reader-friendly manual is almost like having an instructor right there with you and if youd like some coaching try one of our hands-on workshops Theres also a step-by-step video a kit for practicing with Poly-Fiber plus a web site full of information

Wpound NAVpound ZT GVpoundRpoundD 800-36-3490 wwwpolyfibercom

e-mail infopoJyiibercom

Ai rc r a f t Coatings

30 FEBRUARY 2001

Fly high with a quality Classic interior Complete interior assemblies for dO-it-yourself installation

Custom quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

Qir~RODUCTS INC 259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115 wwwairtexinteriorscom

Archie and Roberta Lane

Cypress CA

Archie Naval aviator

1952-1964

Engineering test pilot

1965-1981

Aerospace program

manager 1991-1995

Robbie Homemaker

1952-present

three children

We are glad to give our endorsement

to your agency in light of both the

AUAis

approved

To become a

member of the

Vintage Aircraft

Association call

800-843-3612

insurance you have provided at

reasonable cost and the way our claim

was handled when disaster struck

AUAs fair and prompt settlement

following an off-airport night gear-up

landing allowed us to rebuild our

Staggerwing to be an Oshkosh show

winner

- Archie and Roberta Lane

The best is affordable

Give AUA a call - its FREE

800-727-3823 Fly with the prosfly with AUA Inc

AUAs Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Assoc Insurance Program

Lower liabilitX and hull premiums

Medical payments included

Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages

No hand-propping exclusion

No age pen Ity

No component parts endorsements

Discounts for claim-free renewals carryinjJ all risk coverages

Remember Were Setter Togetherl

AVIATION UNLIMITED AGENCY

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT

Membershi~ Services Directon_ Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the BAA Vintage Aircraft Association

ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

President Vice-President Esple Butch Joyce George Doubner

PO Box 35S84 2448 Lough Lane Greensboro NC 27425 Hartford WI 53027

336393-0344 262673-5885 windsockaolcom antlque2aolcom

TreasurerSecretary Chanes W HarnsSteve Nessa 7215 East 46th SI2009 Highland Ave Tulse OK 74145Albert Lec MN fRX)7

918622-8400507373-1674 cwhhvsucom

DIRECTORS David Benne Jeannie HIli PO Box 1188 PO Box 328

Roseville CA 95678 Harvard IL 60033 530268-1585 815943-7205

ontiquerinreochcom dinghaoowcnet

Steve Krog 9345 S Hoyne

Robert C Bob Brauer 1002 Hecther Ln

Chicago IL 60620 Hartford WI 53027 773779-2105 262966-7627

photoplotaolcom sskrogaolcom

Robert D Bob Lumley 7645 Echo Point Rd

John Berendt 1265 South 124th St

Cannan Falbullbull MN 55009 Brookfield WI 53005 507263-2414 262 782-2633

fchldrconnectcam lumperexecpccom

Gene Morns John S Copeland 5936 Steve Court 1 A Deccon Street Roonoke1)( 76262

Northborough MA 01532 817491-9110508393-4775 n03captfloshnet

copeland ljunocom Dean Richardson

Phil Coulson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd 28415 Spnngbrook Dr Stoughton WI 53589

Lawton MI 49065 608877-8485 616624-6490 daraprUoire com

rcou~on516cscom Geoff Robison

Roger Gomoll 1521 E MacGregor Dr 321-12 S Broodway 3 New Haven IN 46774 Rochester MN 55904 219493-4724

chlef7025aoicom507288-2810 rgomollhotmallcom

SH Wes Schmid Dale A Gustafson 2359 Lefeber Avenue 7724 Shady Hili Dr W01MOIosa WI 53213

Indianapclls IN 46278 414771 -1545 317293-4430 shschmldexecpccom

DIRECTORS EMERITUS

Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2159 Canton Rd PO Box 424

Oshkosh WI 54904 UnionIL60180 920231-5002 815923-4591

buck7ocmCnet

ADVISOR Alan Shackleton

PO Box 656 Sugar Grove IL 60554-0656

630466-4193 1033461772compuservecom

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site httpwwweaaorgand httpwwwairventureorg E-Mail vintage eaaorg

BAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 bull bullbull bull bullbull bullbull bullbull FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM -700 PM Monday-Friday CST) bull Newrenew memberships EAA Divisions

(Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)

bull Address changes bull Merchandise sales bull Gift memberships

Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-67 11

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Build restore information 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 920-426-681 5

bull EAA Air Academy bull EAA Scholarships

Flight Advisors information 920-426-6522 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program bull bullbull bull bull bull bullbull bull bull bull 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-4821 Technical Counselors 920-426-4821 Young Eagles 920-426-4831

Benefits Aircraft Financing (Textron) 800-851-1367 AVA 800-727-3823 AVEMCO 800-638-8440 Term Life and Accidental 800-241 -6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company)

Edi torial Submitting articlephoto advertising information 920-426-4825 bullbull bullbull bull bull bull bull bull bullbull bull bull FAX 920-426-4828

EAAAviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236- 1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA available for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION magshy

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association azine not included) (Add $ 10 for Foreign Inc is $40 for one year including 12 issues of SPORT Postage) AVIATION Family membership is available for an addishytional $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 WARBIRDS years of age) is available at $23 annually All major Current EM members may join the EM Warbirds of

credit cards accepted for membership (Add $16 for America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine

Foreign Postage) for an additional $35 per year EM Membership WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds DivisionVINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATIONCurrent EM members may join the Vintage Aircraft magazine not included) (Add $7 for Foreign Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magashyPostage)zine for an additional $27 per year

EM Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine EAA EXPERIMENTERand one year membership in the EM Vintage AirshyCurren t EAA members may receive EAAcraft Associat ion is available for $37 per year EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $20 (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included) (Add per year $7 for Foreign Postage) EM Membership and EM EXPERIMENTER magshyazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT

lAC AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $8 for ForshyCurrent EM members may join the International eign Postage) Aerobatic Club Inc Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an add itiona l $40 FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS per year Please submit your remittance with a check or EM Membership SPORT AEROBATICS magazine draft drawn on a United States bank payable in and one year membership in the lAC Division is United States dollars Add required Foreign

Postage amount for each membership

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyrighl copy2OO1 by the fAA Vintage Aircraft Associalion Ail rights reserved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published anlt owned exclusively by the fAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monlhly at fAA Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd RO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to fAA Vintage Aircraft Association RO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow alleast two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANEto foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be lakenEDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submrt stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Respon~bility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No renumeration ~ made Matenal should be sent to Editor VINTAGE AIRPLANE RO Box 3086Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 Phone 920426-4800

The words EAA ULTRALIGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logos of fAA fAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INTERNAshyTIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are reg registered Irademarks THE fAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the fAA AVIATION FOUNDATION fAA ULTRALI GHT CONVENTION and fAA AirVenture are tradeshymarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited

32 FEBRUARY 200 1

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT

Membershi~ Services Directon_ Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the BAA Vintage Aircraft Association

ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

President Vice-President Esple Butch Joyce George Doubner

PO Box 35S84 2448 Lough Lane Greensboro NC 27425 Hartford WI 53027

336393-0344 262673-5885 windsockaolcom antlque2aolcom

TreasurerSecretary Chanes W HarnsSteve Nessa 7215 East 46th SI2009 Highland Ave Tulse OK 74145Albert Lec MN fRX)7

918622-8400507373-1674 cwhhvsucom

DIRECTORS David Benne Jeannie HIli PO Box 1188 PO Box 328

Roseville CA 95678 Harvard IL 60033 530268-1585 815943-7205

ontiquerinreochcom dinghaoowcnet

Steve Krog 9345 S Hoyne

Robert C Bob Brauer 1002 Hecther Ln

Chicago IL 60620 Hartford WI 53027 773779-2105 262966-7627

photoplotaolcom sskrogaolcom

Robert D Bob Lumley 7645 Echo Point Rd

John Berendt 1265 South 124th St

Cannan Falbullbull MN 55009 Brookfield WI 53005 507263-2414 262 782-2633

fchldrconnectcam lumperexecpccom

Gene Morns John S Copeland 5936 Steve Court 1 A Deccon Street Roonoke1)( 76262

Northborough MA 01532 817491-9110508393-4775 n03captfloshnet

copeland ljunocom Dean Richardson

Phil Coulson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd 28415 Spnngbrook Dr Stoughton WI 53589

Lawton MI 49065 608877-8485 616624-6490 daraprUoire com

rcou~on516cscom Geoff Robison

Roger Gomoll 1521 E MacGregor Dr 321-12 S Broodway 3 New Haven IN 46774 Rochester MN 55904 219493-4724

chlef7025aoicom507288-2810 rgomollhotmallcom

SH Wes Schmid Dale A Gustafson 2359 Lefeber Avenue 7724 Shady Hili Dr W01MOIosa WI 53213

Indianapclls IN 46278 414771 -1545 317293-4430 shschmldexecpccom

DIRECTORS EMERITUS

Gene Chase EE Buck Hilbert 2159 Canton Rd PO Box 424

Oshkosh WI 54904 UnionIL60180 920231-5002 815923-4591

buck7ocmCnet

ADVISOR Alan Shackleton

PO Box 656 Sugar Grove IL 60554-0656

630466-4193 1033461772compuservecom

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site httpwwweaaorgand httpwwwairventureorg E-Mail vintage eaaorg

BAA and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 bull bullbull bull bullbull bullbull bullbull FAX 920-426-6761 (800 AM -700 PM Monday-Friday CST) bull Newrenew memberships EAA Divisions

(Vintage Aircraft Association lAC Warbirds) National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)

bull Address changes bull Merchandise sales bull Gift memberships

Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory 732-885-67 11

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 Build restore information 920-426-4821 Chapters locatingorganizing 920-426-4876 Education 920-426-681 5

bull EAA Air Academy bull EAA Scholarships

Flight Advisors information 920-426-6522 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program bull bullbull bull bull bull bullbull bull bull bull 920-426-6847 Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 Medical Questions 920-426-4821 Technical Counselors 920-426-4821 Young Eagles 920-426-4831

Benefits Aircraft Financing (Textron) 800-851-1367 AVA 800-727-3823 AVEMCO 800-638-8440 Term Life and Accidental 800-241 -6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt amp Company)

Edi torial Submitting articlephoto advertising information 920-426-4825 bullbull bullbull bull bull bull bull bull bullbull bull bull FAX 920-426-4828

EAAAviation Foundation Artifact Donations 920-426-4877 Financial Support 800-236- 1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA available for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION magshy

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association azine not included) (Add $ 10 for Foreign Inc is $40 for one year including 12 issues of SPORT Postage) AVIATION Family membership is available for an addishytional $10 annually Junior Membership (under 19 WARBIRDS years of age) is available at $23 annually All major Current EM members may join the EM Warbirds of

credit cards accepted for membership (Add $16 for America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine

Foreign Postage) for an additional $35 per year EM Membership WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds DivisionVINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATIONCurrent EM members may join the Vintage Aircraft magazine not included) (Add $7 for Foreign Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magashyPostage)zine for an additional $27 per year

EM Membership VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine EAA EXPERIMENTERand one year membership in the EM Vintage AirshyCurren t EAA members may receive EAAcraft Associat ion is available for $37 per year EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $20 (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included) (Add per year $7 for Foreign Postage) EM Membership and EM EXPERIMENTER magshyazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT

lAC AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $8 for ForshyCurrent EM members may join the International eign Postage) Aerobatic Club Inc Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an add itiona l $40 FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS per year Please submit your remittance with a check or EM Membership SPORT AEROBATICS magazine draft drawn on a United States bank payable in and one year membership in the lAC Division is United States dollars Add required Foreign

Postage amount for each membership

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyrighl copy2OO1 by the fAA Vintage Aircraft Associalion Ail rights reserved

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published anlt owned exclusively by the fAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monlhly at fAA Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd RO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to fAA Vintage Aircraft Association RO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow alleast two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANEto foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be lakenEDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submrt stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Respon~bility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No renumeration ~ made Matenal should be sent to Editor VINTAGE AIRPLANE RO Box 3086Oshkosh WI 54903-3088 Phone 920426-4800

The words EAA ULTRALIGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logos of fAA fAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INTERNAshyTIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are reg registered Irademarks THE fAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the fAA AVIATION FOUNDATION fAA ULTRALI GHT CONVENTION and fAA AirVenture are tradeshymarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited

32 FEBRUARY 200 1