STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

Happy New Year! We truly hope each member of the Antique/Classic Division had a successful and outstanding year in 1981. At the completion of a calendar year we always look back to see what we have accomplished; and then we look forward to the new year with a set ofresolutions to abide by.

Scanning 1981, we had been faced with enormous increases in the costs of sport flying. Fuel costs were still rising , student pilot starts were decreasing and pleasure flights were curtailed or eliminated in order to attend a choice of fly-ins.

There is always a driving element that rejects the computer statistics thrust at us. That element is the desire to accomplish a goal regardless of the obstacles. This became evident in the spring of 1981 when EAA Antique/ Classic Chapter 3 held its largest and most successful spring fly-in at Burlington, North Carolina. The annual EAA Sun 'N Fun Fly-In at Lakeland , Florida , though hampered by persistent winds, was another great success , and on through the year we witnessed or were informed of successes elsewhere.

It is obvious that we will continue to fly and attend the events of our choice. The desire for fellowship is still the driving element of what EAA and its Divisions are all about as evidenced by the great success of Oshkosh '81.

The Antique/ Classic Division did accomplish many of its desired goals throughout 1981. Our membership steadily increased throughout the year, though not as much as desired by our Board of Directors. During the year we contacted those who had attended Oshkosh, but were not Division members , and the results were ac­ceptable. We also requested our own active membership to recruit new members interested in antiques and classics and the results were again positive. Personal contacts are the backbone of our membership growth and through your efforts we again realized increases. Keep up the good work.

Division Director Al Kelch volunteered . to chair a committee and pursue the theme of our Division Hall of Fame. Through AI's efforts and the dedication of other volunteers, we have a fine display area in the Paul H. Poberezny Air Museum at EAA Headquarters in Franklin, Wisconsin. These appropriate displays are changed throughout the year to attract the interest

By Brad Thomas President

Antique/Classic Division

of museum visitors. Also on display is our "Wall of Fame" project that is under the direction of Division Advisor, Ed Burns. Here recognition is given to our Division members , their restoration projects and significant historical subjects. Past antique and classic grand champions are included in this display to bring to the attention of the visitors.

E. E. "Buck" Hilbert, past Division President and current Treasurer volunteered to chair the research and historic committee of the Antique/Classic Division. Of utmost importance , this venture will retain for posterity the history and persons who have so dedicated themselves to the advancement of our Division.

Communications to our membership has been and will be continued through The VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Reports of our Division functions , restoration articles, historical presentations, fly-in reports, articles on methods and tips for restoration projects, significant current newsworthy briefs in the A/C News - all are a part of our outstanding monthly publication. Editor Gene Chase and his staff are to be commended for their work and effort in bringing The VINTAGE AIRPLANE to us. The staff deserves credit for constantly striving to improve our publication for the membership.

In 1982, we foresee some relief from the bleak situations that were evident during the past two years. Our country is stabilizing itself economically and the attitude of the general public is positive. We will , as always, work toward membership expansion and will continue to bring to you the publication with desirable and informative contents. Our goal to participate in the EAA International Convention at Oshkosh '82 and make your visit with us enjoyable and meaningful will be accomplished under the guidance of the many chairmen who volunteer for these Division functions. 1982 should be a banner year for all in EAA. Each Division is pro­gressing toward similar goals, and attitude and coopera­tion are the underlying traits of EAA members which make this possible. To be a part of it all is both an honor and privilege which every member should cherish. No other organization in the world has a purpose which is recognized and executed so well. Let us not forget what we have, what we desire, and what we will do for sport aviation.

PUBLICATION OF THE ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC. OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INC.

P.O. BOX 229, HALES CORNERS, WI 53130 COPYRIGHT © 1982 EM ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

JANUARY 1982 VOLUME 10 NUMBER 1

OFFICERS President Vice-President

W. Brad Thomas, Jr. Jack C. Winthrop 301 Dodson Mill Road Route 1, Box 111

Pilot Mountain, NC 27041 Allen, TX 75002 919/368-2875 Home 214/727-5649 919/368-2291 Office

Secretary Treasurer M. C. " Kelly" Viets E. E. " Buck" Hilbert 7745 W. 183rd St. P.O. Box 145 Stilwell , KS 66085 Union, IL 60180

913/681-2303. Home 815/923-4591 9131782-6720 Office

DIRECTORS Ronald Fritz Morton W. Lester

15401 Sparta Avenue P.O. Box 3747 Kent City , MI 49330 Martinsville, VA 24112

616/678-5012 703/632-4839

Claude L. Gray, Jr. Arthur R. Morgan 9635 Sylvia Avenue 3744 North 51st Blvd .

Northridge , CA 91324 Milwaukee, WI 53216 213/349-1338 414/442-3631

Dale A. Gustafson John R. Turgyan 7724 Shady Hill Drive 1530 Kuser Road Indianapol is, IN 46274 Trenton, NJ 08619

317/293-4430 609/58S.2747

AI Kelch S. J. Wittman 66 W. 622 N. Madison Avenue Box 2672

Cedarburg , WI 53012 Oshkosh , WI 54901 414/377-5886 414/23S.1265

Robert E. Kesel George S. York 455 Oakridge Drive 181 Sloboda Ave.

Rochester, NY 14617 Mansfield , OH 44906 716/342-3170 419/529-4378

ADVISORS Ed Burns Stan Gomoll Gene Morris

Mt. Prospect Road 1042 90th Lane, NE 27 Chandelle Drive Des Plaines, IL 60018 Minneapolis, MN 55434 Hampshire, IL 60140

3121298-7811 6121784-1172 3121683-3199 John S. Copeland Espie M. Joyce, Jr. S. H. " Wes" Schmid

9 Joanne Drive Box 468 2359 Lefeber Road Westborough, MA 01581 Madison, NC 27025 Wauwatosa, WI 53213

617/366-7245 919/427-0216 414/771-1545

PUBLICATION STAFF

PUBLISHER EDITOR Paul H. Poberezny Gene R. Chase

ASSOC. EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS George A. Hardie, Jr. Norman Petersen Pat EHer

FRONT COVER .. • Scene at the 22nd Annual Waco Reunion , these 1931 Waco aCF-2s are owned by (I-r) Lee Parsons. Joe Fichera and Marion Havelaar. See story on page 5.

(Ted Koston Photo)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Straight and Level' . .. by Brad Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 AIC News . . . compiled by Gene Chase . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4 Steve Wittman Gets to Fly a Curtiss Pusher

. .. by Gene Chase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 22nd Annual Reunion - WACO ... by T ed Kaston . . 6 Pilot's Dream . . . by W. S cott Boyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 50 Years Hence ....... ..... ...... . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. . 10 Mystery Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10 AIC Annual Picnic .. . by Gene Chase . . .. ........ . . . 11 The Sky Romer ... by Randy Barnes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Part" - Building the Ramsey Flying Bathtub

... by W. H . Ramsey ...... . .. . .. . . . .. ..... . . .. . 15 Members Projects .... . . . . ... . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 21 Calendar.of Events . . ... . . . . . . . .. .. .. ... . ..... . ... . 21

Page 6 Page 8 Page 12

BACK COVER ... Steve Wittman makes a longtime dream come true as he ap­proaches for his first landing in Dale Crites' 1911 Curtiss Pusher. See page 5.

(Gene Chase Photo)

Editorial Policy: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Material should be sent to : Gene R. Chase, Editor, The VINTAGE AIR­PLANE, P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130.

Associate Editorships are assigned to those writers who submit five or more articles which are published in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and a free one-year membership in the Division for their effort.

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc., and is published monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second Class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and additional mailing offices. Mem· bership rates for EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc., are $14.00 for current EAA members per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the publication of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.

ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

ALEXANDER BULLET RESTORATION

The remains of a 1929 Alexander Bullet have been located in Colorado Springs, CO by members of the local AAA chapter who ha ve enthusiastic hopes of restoring the plane. The group has very little to go on and is seeking any and all information about the Bul­let. Anyone who can supply any details is asked to con­tact Wayland Eberhart (A/ C 5817), 3218 Austin Place, Colorado Springs, CO 80915.

ANZANI LONGSTER

Tim Talen (A/C 1616), president of the Oregon An­tique and Classic Aircraft Club reports through that group's newsletter that progress is good on the con­struction of this little 1931 vintage sport plane. It is being built under Tim's direction by the Wednesday night class at Lane Community College jn Eugene, OR. An invitation is extended to all interested persons in that area at that time to stop by for a look-see.

LeRHONE ROTARY ENGINE STOLEN

The EAA Chapter 145, Grand Rapids, MI newslet­ter reports that a WWI LeRhone engine was stolen in October, 1981 from Harold Smith of near Middle­ville in Barry County, MI. Mr. Smith acquired the engine in the 1920s and had kept it in running condi­tion. Anyone having information on a LeRhone engine that turns up under questionable circumstances, is asked to contact the Michigan State Police at Way­land, MI, 1-616-792-2213.

CHAPEL AT SUN 'N FUN SITE

A site has been selected for a permanent chapel on the Sun 'N Fun property at the Lakeland, FL air­port. This sanctuary is for the spiritual needs of the attendees at the annual Sun 'N Fun Fly-In each March as well as other groups who meet there during the year including scout jamborees.

The chapel will be entirely a volunteer effort . . . a people place, therefore a people project. Donations to this worthwhile endeavor may be sent to Donna Alleva, CHAPEL BUILDING FUND, 6609 Brahman Drive, Lakeland, FL 33805. Be sure to include your complete name and address so all donations can be properly acknowledged.

AUXILIARY FUEL SYSTEMS Wag-Aero is now offering fully FAA-PMA approved

auxiliary fuel systems for Piper J-3, L-4, and PA-11 aircraft. In addition to the above, they also have sys­tems for the Aeronca 7 AC and 11AC. Other systems are under development; all in Wag-Aero's continued ef­fort to provide expanded utility for the classic air­craft.

8 gallon tank - $174.50 12 gallon - $214.50

Approval allows installation of up to two each of the above tanks. Order direct from manufacturer: Wag­Aero, Inc. , P .O. Box 181, Lyons, WI 53148. 414/763­9586.

BALL JOINT ENDS EXHAUST PIPE CRACKS

Stanton, CA - One of the annoying problems con­fronting all aircraft owners is the cracks that can develop along exhaust flanges due to engine vibrations. Ken Brock Manufacturing has come up with a solu­tion that all but totally eliminates the threat of split welds. By inserting simple ball joints in the upper one­fourth of your aircraft's exhaust system, engine vibra­tions are almost completely dampened out. The joints are available for $7.95 each in diameters of 1!h" and 1%". Stainless flanges are also available from Brock. They can easily be retrofitted to the exhaust system on any plane, single or twin.

For a catalog listing other helpful products offered to owners of factory builts and experimentals, send $3 to Ken Brock Manufacturing, 11852 Western Avenue, Stanton, CA 90680. In addition to general builder's supplies, the company markets complete KB-2 Gyro­plane kits, and extensive components for the Thorp T-18, Marquart MA-5 Charger, Variviggen, VariEze, LongEze and Dragonfly.

4 JANUARY 1982

STEVE WITTMAN GETS TO FLY A

(by Gene Chase)

Steve (left) accepts Dale's congratulations after his flight in the 1911 Curtiss.

September 19, 1981 was a memorable day, not only for Steve Wittman but for Dale Crites and everyone else who had the privilege of being at Aero Park Air­port near Milwaukee for the fall meeting of the Wis­consin Wing of the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers.

For many years Steve had wanted to fly a Curtiss Pusher and his opportunity came when Dale Crites made his 1911 Curtiss available.

A sight to behold ... the unmistakable outline of an early Curtiss.

Steve flew the OX-5 powered craft for 30 minutes as he became familiar with the "non-standard" control system (by today's standards). On this Curtiss, turning the control wheel actuates the rudder and leaning in the body yoke controls the ailerons. The elevator oper­ates normally by moving the control column fore and aft.

Steve was delighted with the flight and so was Dale ... it was the first time Dale had seen his Pusher in flight when he wasn't at the controls.

A post flight briefing conducted by (I-r) Herb Westphal, Huey Plco, Steve and Dorothy Wittman and Dale Crites.

An unconcerned Dale Crites (on ground) observes Steve's flight.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

22nd annual •Story and Photography by Ted Koston

(Ale 131) 38 Le Moyne Parkway

Oak Park , IL 60302 reunion Forty-one beautiful Wacos gathered at Hamilton,

Ohio, June 26-28, 1981 from sixteen states and Canada to make this reunion a real record breaker. Many eager Waco owners arrived as much as three days early.

Buddy rides and fly-bys were the order of the day as the "Waco Clan" convened. Eight Wacos made their first appearance at Hamilton this year.

Brothers Mike and Pete Heins of Dayton, Ohio took turns giving rides in their rare 1930 Waco CRG. This is the only CRG flying of two that were built. In 1930 Andy Stinls performed the first skywriting over New York City in the CRG.

Two other one-of-a-kind examples present were Dr. Ed Packard's 1932 Waco IBA and John Cournoyer's 1938 Waco AVN-8 with the tricycle gear.

Because the prototype of the various models of Wacos had been modified extensively, the company had a policy of destroying all of them. However, one Waco prototype survived the cutting torch because it was sold to Continental Motors for use as a test bed for their engines. Marion "Curly" Havelaar of Rapid City, South Dakota acquired this rare 1931 Model QCF-2, NX11241, and has restored it to perfection.

Among the highlights of the weekend were the hos­pitality night and banquet at the Holiday Inn at near­

by Fairfield, Ohio. Once again it was great to see "Mr. Waco", Ray Brandly give an award to each Waco pilot in recognition of his participation at the reunion. Spe­cial 50 year pins were giv~n to pilots flying Wacos which were manufactured 50 plus years ago. Seven­teen aircraft qualified for this awarCl..

Guest speaker for the evening was Charlie Mof­fitt who was the sales manager for many years for the Waco Aircraft Company. Charlie's comments were interesting and very informative.

Also during the program, Bill Hogan, manager of the Hamilton Airport a,nd staunch sup'porter of the National Waco Club, introduced Carl "Pop" Muhlberger who started Hamilton Airport over 50 years ago.

Among the pilots who unselfishly provided their aircraft for photo missions were Dr. Ed Packard (Waco IBA), Alan Nogard (Cessna 172), Vince Mariani (Waco VKS-7F) and Harry Van Lovern (Enstrom helicopter).

It was a great pleasure to attend this outstanding event and we plan to participate again next year . . . June 25-27.

For information about the National Waco Club and its activities, President Ray Brandly may be con­tacted at 700 Hill Ave., Hamilton, OH 45015. Tel. 5131 868-0084.

1930 Waco CRG, NC600Y, SIN 3349 owned by brothers Mike and Pete Heins, Dayton, OH. They took turns hopping pas­sengers In this rare CRG, the only one in existence. It was the first aircraft to skywrite over New York City.

Bob and Doug Leavens are pictured here Just DeTore meII'

return flight to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This OX-5 pow­ered 1928 Waco GXE, C-GAFD was the oldest in attendance.

Another rare machine is this 1938 Waco AVN-8, NC19361, SIN 5102 owned by John Cournoyer, St. Louis, MO. Tricycle landing gear is factory original, and this is the only remain-in e.

There were nine Waco UPF-7s at Hamilton including these two, both manufactured in 1941. NC30199, SIN 5630 (left) is owned by Ray Fow, Miami, FL. NC30186, SIN 5617 is owned by Frank Robinson, Vevay. IN.

This Waco ZKC-S, NC14614, SIN 4236 restored and flown by Gary and Alan Nogard, Ballston Spa, NY.

George Gumbert, Lexington, KY owns this 1930 Waco RNF, NC101Y, SIN 3272.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

ByW.ScottBoyer-101'~C mrilJam &_~~a!~;~treet·_225., Q}. ~ D"hl". OR 43516

(Scott Boyer Photo) This 1947 Funk B-8S-C, N1618N, SIN 4C4 is the pride and joy of the Deshl-Air Flying Club of Deshler, OH.

In the fall of 1971 I was flying a 7 AC Champ which belonged to a friend who had graciously let me put some time on it for the expenses. Being the head of a household of nine with considerable overhead, it was the only way I could ever hope to get any flying time in at that stage of my life, so I thought.

While doing some hangar flying one afternoon, Gary Myers mentioned he had seen a Funk for sale over at Tiffin, Ohio. That immediately brought to mind a little 4 x 4 advertisement I had seen many times on the back pages of some long outdated back issues of FLYING when I was an impressionable teenager. In those days I read every aviation publication I could get my hands on (still do) and was up on all the light aircraft of the day. But I had never seen a real live Funk in my recol­lection except for those small ads. I had always con­sidered the Funk to be a very pleasing design but knew little else about it.

I immediately jumped into my friend's Champ and headed for Virgil's place to have a look. Upon arrival, I found it sitting in the back corner of the hangar. I was very impressed with what I saw and began asking the usual questions about it. Virgil offered to roll it out and let me take it around the pattern. Boy was I ever hooked!! He had advertised it in "Trade-a-Plane" for $2,650 but said he would consider trading it for this Champ and $1000. Hey Mister, this ain't my airplane! How could it be arranged? All the way back to Deshler, Ohio, I thought about it and I knew I must try to make some arrangement to give this little beauty a new home.

After I returned home I immediately got together with Dale Harris, the owner of the Champ, a local businessman and former J-3 owner, and Dennis Fin­tel, a model-building friend of mine who was taking flight instruction at that time. I told them what I had seen and I must have been convincing for they all agreed to form a partnership and buy the Funk, sight unseen, as I remember it!

I returned to Tiffin in a day or so and brought it back to Deshler. Everyone was delighted with our little endeavor and we gave our partnership the name Deshl­Air Flying Club which has endured to this day. Dennis completed his instruction in the Funk and received his private ticket in it. My son Scott soloed it on his 8 JANUARY 1982

(Funk Aircraft Co. Photo) The post war Funk Model B-85-C was called the "Customaire" and was the last model built.

16th birthday after only three hours, 20 minutes of instruction and currently has put over 300 hours on it. We started out charging $4.00 per hour wet and maintained that rate for a considerable time. How­ever, recent inflationary pressure has forced us to raise that to $10.00 and indications are, we cannot hold it there much longer.

We have flown it to all the area fly-ins, have taken it to Oshkosh twice and recently attended the First Annual Funk Fly-In at Coffeyville, Kansas where twenty other Funks were in attendance.

The Funk aircraft is the result of the genius of two brothers, Joe and Howard Funk of Akron, Ohio. The brothers' early interest in aviation sparked the form­ing of a local club composed originally of six young men who constructed their own homebuilt gliders be­hind the Funk family poultry shop. Early success brought additional interest and the boys also con­structed the world's first two place glider which bears the resemblance to the presently flying Funk aircraft. For a time this glider activity was housed in a corner of the giant Goodyear dirigible hangar in Akron.

As their interest and experience grew, they de­cided they would design and construct their own pow­ered airplane. In 1935 the first of the Funk line came into being and is now referred to as the "X" job, NX14000. It was powered by a three-cylinder Szekely engine which proved to be very unsatisfactory to say the least. Next, a modified Ford Model A auto engine was installed and the brothers began to sell the idea of going into pro­duction with it. The second airplane was constructed using a refined version of the Ford Model B auto en­gine which was known as the Funk Model E aircraft engine. This airplane was sold to the CAA in 1938 and it received Approved Type Certificate Number 715.

Financial backing was raised by local Akron Busi­nessmen interested in aviation. In 1939 production was begun in an old schoolhouse located near the Akron airport. This airplane was known as the Funk B as is the entire line of 338 examples produced, varying little in structure from the first to the last, except for power­plant.

Sixty examples of the Ford-powered plane were built in 1939 and 1940 when it was decided to switch to a

He ...2 "

2 I

more modern powerplant. In 1941 production was begun on the B-75-L using the 75 hp geared Lycoming. The advent of WWII brought an end to all lightplane pro­duction in the USA and the assets of the Akron Air­craft Company, as it was known then, were purchased by the Jensen family of Coffeyville, Kansas. The plant was moved there and as Howard and Joe like to refer to it, "a couple of asses went along too".

The first production try in Coffeyville was a glider adaptation submitted to the military in competition with other lightplane manufacturers as a primary glider. They were unsuccessful in this attempt. They were able to purchase 30 of the Lycoming 75 hp engines but were prohibited by the War Production Board from this en­deavor, despite the fact these engines were considered as nonstrategic items. Therefore only subcontracting work was pursued until the end of WWII.

After the war .ended production was again resumed on the B-75-L until the remaining supply of Lycoming engines was used; then the B-85-C was marketed using the Continental C-85-12F engine.

During this period and until the end of all produc­tion during the Great Aircraft Depression of 1948 all examples were B-85-C and varied only slightly. The airplane was to be known as the Funk "Bee" but im­mediately Republic Aircraft brought action to prohibit the use of a name they considered theirs due to their Seabee line.

In 1947, beginning with serial number 402 (really number 302 as the serial numbers were arbitrarily jumped by 100 numbers between serial number 75 and 176) the name "Customaire" was given to the line and a few new features were added such as lowering the floor board to provide added leg room, additional sound proofing, and hydraulic brakes. The last production airplane was powered by a Continental C-90 engine and became the Funk brothers personal airplane for many years until they eventually sold it to Orlo Max­field of Dearborn, Michigan, who still has it.

To date it is believed that over 230 examples of this aircraft still exist in various stages of rebuild and over 100 are known to be flying.

Some of the interesting and unusual features of the Funk B are that it is certified stall and spin resistant,

(Funk Aircraft Co. Photo) Possibly the first production Funk Model E-63 manufactured under ATC 715 (NC22676, SIN 3). Engine is a refined Ford Model B rated at 63 hp.

has an "A" frame fuselage built up with formers and stringers which keeps the fabric away from the metal structure thereby eliminating the possibility of moisture collecting along the longerons. The Funk also has a ' sizeable engine compartment which provides ample working room, parallel wing struts and tail group fly­ing wires for good rigidity . It has a full swivel tail­wheel which can be locked directly to the rudder for limited travel and good ground handling, a wide land­ing gear, and plenty of distance between the tailwheel and landing gear giving it excellent crosswind handling characteristics. Its interior is spacious with a large "T" type control column which many liken to the DC-3. It has exceptionally good performance and handling ability from its low stall speed of 40 mph up to its top speed of 112 mph. In an effort to hold the selling price to $3,495 each and every post war model was painted the same: yellow-orange with brown or maroon trim varying only slightly with the last of the series.

The Funk configuration is a strut-braced high-wing monoplane using the NACA 4412 airfoil in a two-spar wing with truss-type wooden ribs and fabric covering. The tail surfaces are made of steel tubing with fabric covering and are wire braced. The fuselage, also made of steel tubing has wood bulkheads and fairing strips to giye it shape. It is covered with fabric and aluminum panels.

Many older pilots often remark that they remember the plane as having an excellent reputation or they personally had flown it and admired it. It has served our club very well for ten years now and we wouldn't want to part with it. Prior to our owning it, it had belonged to another club of four partners in Quincy, Illinois. They had flown it for 12 years and I'll bet my bottom dollar they still miss it and are sorry they sold it. Their loss is our gain.

If any of you readers would like a demo ride just let one of us know and we will be more than happy, and yes, proud to oblige at anytime.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

50 years hence

F'IFTY YEARS H£/I.·C£

Editor's Note: The artist of "Fifty Years Hence" has some imagination but his forecast of air travel in 1959 wasn't very accurate. However, in 1909 with powered flight only six years old he didn't have much experience to draw from.

This artwork and accompanying description was taken verbatim from the first edition of " The A ero Manual" published in London in 1909 by Temple Press Ltd.

MYSTERY PLANE

Once again we delve into the Roy Russell photo col­lection for a "mystery plane" picture. Identification of this "machine" will appear in the March issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE.

The Mystery Plane in the November issue was the Northrop Beta, the forerunner of all-metal sport planes and the first aircraft of 300 hp to exceed 200 mph when powered by a P & W Wasp. The Beta, circa 1930/1931 was initially powered by a 160 hp Menasco B-6 and the mystery photo depicted this configuration.

By press time the following had correctly identified the Northrop Beta: Burton Williams, Westfield, MA; Bob Armstrong, Rawlings, MD; Charley Hayes, Park Forest, IL; E. A. Ellestad, Palos Verdes Estates, CA; Dick Glea­son, Austin, MN; Leon Perry, East Point, GA and Cedric Galloway, Hesperia, CA.

Burton Williams' letter arrived earliest: Dear Sir:

I enjoy reading The VINTAGE AIRPLANE .very much. In regard to the Mystery Plane in the Novem­ber 1981 issue, I identify the Northrop Beta as powered with a Menasco Buccaneer engine Model B-6 of 160 hp.

Thanks again for a very entertaining magazine. Since I don't visit all the Oshkosh conventions, I do look for­ward to any coverage you may include on that subject.

Sincerely, Burton Williams CAlC 3328) 347 Southwick Rd. Westfield, MA 01085

OUR FRONTISPIECE

The 'scene, as observed from the pilot's seat of an aeroplane, 50 years hence, will show great departures from present-day methods of locomotion. The difficulty of the aeronaut in ascertaining his whereabouts has been overcome by the artist. To meet the many diffi­culties the highways have been considerably widened, the broad road for motor traffic being bordered on either side by great green swards, which serve as land­ing places for flying machines. Over these great track­ways flying machines may travel, and, to facilitate night travelling, each trackway is bordered with a broad band of white chalk ' so that the searchlights of the flying machines may pick out the road boundaries. Each road is given a distinguishing symbol, the great national roads being lettered N R and numbered. Thus the aeroplane in the picture is travelling over N R-71, the great north road between London and York, whilst branching to the left is C R-3, the county road to Peter­borough. The names and the signs are all laid in white chalk set into the green grass, and the name of each place is similarly shown as clearly as possible. The artist has assumed that navigation in the air will be governed by the same rules that control the naviga­tion of ships at sea. A new regulation is needed only for the variation of altitude. It can be defined by a parody on the verse that refers to ships crossing:

If, beneath you, planes appear, It is your duty to keep clear; To act as judgment says is proper, To port or starboard - rise, or drop her!

Flying clubs can be seen in the picture at a couple of points, and the Aero Hotel at Norman Cross has made ample provision in the way of landing space and machine storage.

10 JANUARY 1982

This event grows in popularity each year and has become one of the favorite activities for Antique/Classic Division members at the Annual Oshkosh Fly-In.

The picnic is held behind the Red Barn on the edge of Ollie's Park, which is an ideal and picturesque set­ting for the activity.

After the meal, the group was treated to an out­standing slide presentation by Harvey Alley, Grand

Ic Ic Rapids, MI and old aviation "home movies" by Dean and Dale Crites, Waukesha, WI.

Chairman of the picnic committee was John Tur­gyan, Trenton, NJ. The folks who organize the event are Bob and Joan Burch from Grand Rapids, MI and the success of this annual party is directly related to the great amount of effort put forth by this dedicated couple.

L to R, volunteers Thomas Boos, Minneapolis, MN; Rosie Wallace, Grand Rapids, MI and "Sis" Murphy, South Haven, MI serving food to the hungry.

Some of the hard working volunteers who help to make the annual picnic a success. L to R, Joan Burch, Grand Rapids, MI; Sally Lett, Frankston, TX; Mrs. Doug McAnench, Min­neapolis, MN; Bob Burch, Grand Rapids, MI; Doug McAnench, Minneapolis, MN; Mrs. Thomas Boos, Minneapolis, MN; Walt Ahlers, Flanders, NJ and Shirley Fritz, Kent City, MI.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

During the Lindbergh boom of 1927 to 1929, new airplane designs were springing up by the score, all intended to ride the surging wave of aviation enthusi­asm and bring swift fame and fortune to their builders. But the Great Depression that started in 1929 destroyed all hopes for future success for most of these planes. One of the many that fell by the wayside was the Sky Romer, built at Sweebrock Airport in Fort Wayne, In­diana, by Paul Hobrock and his associates.

The Sky Romer was a four-place, strut-braced, high­wing cabin monoplane of conventional design and con­struction for that period, when welded !:lteel tube fuse­lages and cabin monoplanes were just coming into their own. Hobrock is given credit for the general design of the plane, and Lt. Glenn Lampton, of the Army Air Corps in Dayton, Ohio, did the engineering work. Its most impressive feature was its huge, thick, one-piece wing, with a span of 45 feet, 9 inches and a chord of 6 feet, 9 inches. Ribs were of built-up wood truss con­struction and the two wing spars were of deep box type design, built up at a local lumber yard under Paul's supervision. The usual wire drag bracing was used.

The engine was a 180 hp Hisso V-8, a popular World War I surplus engine at the time because of its low price. The ship was designed to accept a 220 hp Wright Whirlwind as an option.

The airfoil was a "modified Goettingen", but I don't remember which number. Dual stick controls were pro­vided. The original design called for a tiny rudder, shaped like the one on a Curtiss P-IB Hawk. Paul felt it was too small, and extended it upward during con­struction, giving it a slightly unusual shape. Flight testing confirmed his opinion, since there was no evi­dence of rudder area being excessive. The cabin was ventilated by sliding windows beside the front seats. The stabilizer was adjustable in flight by an overhead hand crank. The landing gear used rubber discs in com­pression for shock absorption.

The only problem I recall with the design was that the bottom fairing strips on the fuselage were pulled in by the fabric shrinkage, as is evident in the photo­graph. Paul corrected this situation neatly by ripping the belly fabric open, putting in stronger fairing strips, and patching the opening so that no one ever noticed it. The color scheme was a dull maroon, with butter­scotch horizontal surfaces. When the fairings were re­inforced, the maroon color was changed to a much more pleasant cherry red. The identification number was X206E. The name was originally spelled "Sky Roamer", but it seemed the Crosley Company had a radio by that name, and they objected. Thus the spelling of "Sky Romer". A very attractive logo was designed for the plane, and applied just to the rear of the cabin win­dows. I recall the words "Sky Romer" printed on a curve, with tiny long oval-shaped marks drawn through the letters to indicate speed, but I don't know of any photos or records of the design.

I've always had a feeling the big thick wing of this plane could have lifted twice the load without even noticing it. Cruising speed was listed as 105 miles an hour. STOL performance was obviously a major goal of the design.

The plane made its first flight on February 9, 1929. It proved to be so wing heavy that turns could be made in only one direction. This was easily corrected by the adjustable wing struts, however, and a public demon­stration flight was made very successfully the next day, after the plane was ceremoniously christened "Miss Fort Wayne".

Then came the problem of selling the plane and setting up a factory to produce more of them. That's when frustration set in, and eventually the plane was sold to Ed Hadley, a furniture store executive, for what Paul said paid only for the hangar rent. Stockholders in the budding company lost their investments, as did millions of stockholders all over the country during those dark days. Ed Hadley moved from Fort Wayne to Toledo, Ohio, and I lost touch with the plane. The last time I saw it in Fort Wayne was on June 7, 1930. In 1958, two people reported having seen the plane, dismantled, in a hangar in Toledo in the early thirties. I used to have dreams of suddenly coming across its remains somewhere, in restorable condition. Even now, I'm still curious to know more about what happened to it.

Now for the people. Hobrock's assistants in the con­struction of the plane were Carl Buecker, chief helper; Marvin Bennett, welder; and Bob Connors. I often rode my bike out to the airport after school and swept the workshop floor for them. This also gave me the chance to measure the parts as the plane was built, so that the accompanying drawing could be made - originally, on some brown wrapping paper! I was paid a few cents an evening, which didn't make me rich, but served to convince my parents that I wasn't being a complete nuisance at the airport.

Paul Hobrock and a partner, George Sweet leased the airport property and called it Sweebrock Airport, in about 1924, judging by later newspaper clippings. Paul ran an aviation service which at the time con­sisted largely of rebuilding Jennies, Canucks, Stan­dards, and at least one Swallow. He sold airplanes and parts, flight instruction, and weekend airplane rides with the help of the usual wing walking and para­chute jumps of those days.

A money maker was the sewing and sale of pre­fitted covering envelopes for Jennies and similar planes. In fact, Paul is reported to be the originator of the whole slip-cover idea.

In 1928, the airport lease was taken over by Guy Means, a Buick dealer, apparently to provide addi­tional capital for the Sky Romer project. After the plane was built and sold, I left Fort Wayne and lost touch with Paul, though I have a newspaper picture of a Boy Scout troop of which he was the Scoutmaster - date unknown. He had a rare combination of inven­tiveness, manual skills, enthusiasm, friendliness, energy, and business acumen that practically guaranteed his success in all sorts of endeavors. His Sweebrock avia­tion service continued for many years until his retire­ment in 1959. During the war he furnished elastic headbands for goggles, aerial gunnery tow targets, and parachute test dummies for the military services. I

12 JANUARY 1982

By Randy Barnes (Ale 1941)

816 W. Glen Avenue Peoria, IL 61614

became reacquainted with him in the late 1950s, when his major interest was the raising of Palomino horses, at which he was also quite successful. He also owned an interesting museum of horsedrawn vehicles . His home was on the site of the old Robison Park, a once­fabulous amusement park created in 1896 to promote use of the new-fangled electric street cars, which pro­vided the only access to the park at that time. He also had a summer cottage on Lake George in northern Indiana, and spent winters in Florida.

The 1967 OX-5 National Reunion was held in Fort Wayne, with Art Goebel as principal speaker. Also on the program was a tribute to Paul Hobrock, as one of Fort Wayne's aviation pioneers. Paul's response to this was a gem. He said, "We didn't know we were making history. We were just having fun!" The Re­union was in the charge of Bob McComb, who was also the OX-5 Club's National membership chairman. He belongs in this story too, since he was one of the "air­port kids" whom Paul had befriended in the early days.

Bob went on to fame as "Uncle Fudd" of the Bill Sweet ·Air Shows. He could actually fly an Aeronca

while sitting backward on the front seat. This included landings, and was done repeatedly in show after show! At the 1949 National Air Races, he flew in a "race" of three Curtiss Juniors, all with uncovered fuselages. When he found himself lagging behind, Bob dropped his feet through the . open bottom of the fuselage and "ran" like mad - and of course, won the race! He con-

Ellsworth Crick photographed the Sky Romer with a box camera at Ft. Wayne, IN.

This photo of the Sky Romer appeared in a Ft. Wayne, IN newspaper in 1929.

tinued in Air Show work until 1968. More recently, Bob spearheaded the construction of

a replica 0f Art Smith's 1911 homebuilt pusher as a museum display to perpetuate Art's memory. It even

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

had the original 4-cylinder Elbridge engine in it. In 1912 Art Smith was Fort Wayne's "Bird Boy", the first ever to elope by airplane. He also was one of the most famous of the early aerobatic pilots. It was Art who took over Lincoln Beachey's flying act after the latter's fatal crash during the San Francisco World's Fair of 1915. He toured the Orient in 1915-16, creating a sen­sation there. During World War I he worked as a test pilot. 1923 found him in the Air Mail Service, flying DH-4s. Art, not quite 32 years old, died in a night-flight air mail crash in February, 1926. Fort Wayne's secondary airport is named in his honor.

The Art Smith Memorial Pusher is now on display at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.

In his own comic style, Bob McComb was a worthy successor to Art Smith, for whom he worked so hard to honor with this project. Bob now resides in Ogden, Utah.

Carl Buecker, Paul Hobrock's chief helper , later became an engineer with the Magnavox Company in Fort Wayne. I became reacquainted with him in the 1950s through EAA. He was president of Chapter 2 in 1958, and was also a member of the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers. Carl designed and built a 2-place pusher airplane for the 1962 EAA design contest. It was the first plane entered. Though it was never flown success­fully , it appeared only minor changes would have been necessary to make it a very practical aircraft. He was a devoted church member, and a very amiable and well­liked person. His premature death from a heart attack in 1970 was a great shock to his many friends .

Bob Connors, called "Ivan" by his aviation buddies for no special reason, eked out a depression-era living in aviation until about 1935, and then switched to rail­roading, becoming a yardmaster for Norfolk and Western. He retired six years ago after 40 years of service, and now lives in Fort Wayne.

Marvin Bennett was a good welder, but needed push­ing to get him to work. As I recall , he did all the weld­ing for a flat sum of $300. He complained that it was

a lot more work than he had expected, but he finished the job and did it well. I've heard a rumor that Ben­nett is no longer alive.

I have no further information about Lt. Glenn Lamp­ton. If he is still alive, he might be the only surviving person to have detailed plans for the Sky Romer. Ho­brock had disposed of most of his records before his death in Venice, Florida, in March of 1972, at the age of 70.

Another person involved with the Sky Romer was Russ Hosler, then of Huntington, Indiana. Being Ed Hadley's instructor and also a close friend , Russ did a lot of flying in the plane, putting it through loops and rolls and about everything short of a lomcevak, I'm told. I met Russ once in 1958, hoping to get some in­t eresting stories from him about the Sky Romer, but he wasn't much of a conversationalist. He had done some air racing, and reportedly took part in all sorts of wild adventures in the sky. There are even rumors that the Sky Romer was used for smuggling liquor across the Canadian border! Russ could fly and land at night as well as most pilots can by day. A racing plane of his design was a failure. He was a test pilot for many of the World War II planes, from what I've heard. He had a steel tube forming business in the 1950s. If the rumors are true, his exploits would make a very interesting book, if someone could track down all the facts . He died in early 1980, according to the OX-5 News.

An observation about aviators in the 1920s: many were capable pilots, but lacking in theoretical knowledge. I had a solid-wood model of a Jenny and showed it to a group of flyers at an airport. They were sure it would fly like a kite if placed in a good blast of propwash, and I couldn't stop them, being only about twelve at the time. When the model tumbled away backwards and was smashed, they were all very surprised!

That's about all I remember regarding the Sky Romer project and the people who made it happen. I'd certainly like to hear from anyone who can fill some of the gaps in this rambling story.

THE SKY ROMER

e UK.T 8 ... PAUl ~ r OAT WA'o' N( ,1tC). 1921 ·29 OfI"'WN 8 "1' 1:t#<NOY e,., "N( 5 .• '29 T"AoCtO _

14 JANUARY 1982

(Dave Gustafson Photo) Irvin Mahugh (EAA 110681) of 3155 N. 3rd St., Baker, OR 97814 and his son, Jimmy flew their Ramsey Bathtub to Oshkosh '78 where it received the Out­standing Replica Award.

PART II

BUILDING THE RAMSEY FLYING BATHTUB

By W. H. Ramsey, Designer Illustrations by Joe Deady

Part One of this two part series appeared in the December 1981 issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE. It is reprinted in the EAA reprint of the 1932 FLYING AND GLIDER MANUAL. These reprints are available from EAA Headquarters ... see ad on page 22.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

~-----~.,...,.-:=-=:---••,,----------~ PROVIDE Si vASKE T

rOR rtLLE R CAP

SOLDER JII ~O MESH BRASS SCREEN STRA,r..ER TO THE f"lLLER FLANGE

Ie GA .

,rOIA. X,f.."I'2 BRASS luBE W ITH 4 OIA , OUTLETS ... ~o WESH BRASS

STR A INER SCREEN ­ -­---ll- -oII­

r COPP ER TU B ING

SIDE VIEW OF TANK

=----- +-----------,·r-­ ----~~,...-

FELT CO MPRESSED TO I"

END VIEW OF TANK

W ITHOUT DUllE T FLANGE AND TUBE ON

If RiVETS SPACEO AT

3­4" O. C

SECTION THRU END OF TANK

TYPICAL lHAU· OUT TANK CONSTRUCTION

STREA MLINE THE FRONT AND SACK OF' TA N K uSE 22 GA. ALUMINUM

_ -,-,__• __ 24- ­ __-'­_-+--1TOP VIEW OF TANK

;-0------00---------<-1

-1 22 GAGE ALU MINUM PLATES ~

~-~~.~P_U_N~~_H_~_-~._H_O~~_E_S~~_~.~_~_~~_&_~ BOTTOM COVER PLATE

THESE PLATES COVER THE CEN TEA DIVISION or WING PUN CH HOLES AND uSE v 584 7 SC R EWS SOLDER ON

STREAMLI N ING The Aeronca motor can stand lots of work without constan,t attention, butComplete detaHs for the fuel tank and the method of moun,tin.g to the this very easily accessible moun.tingwing are. given in this working drawing_ This tank is made of .012 brass makes atten,tion a pleasure.and is covered with felt. This construction calls for expert workmanship.

Note that the tan,k rests on. the compression struts in the ceniter section of the wing., and that the wing at this point is covered with aluminum pla.tes.

o -.e DETAIL

LL~NG AND TftAILINC [OGU. A.[ OF SElEC T ' ....USE

or

METHOD OF ATTACHING THE LEADING EDGE

~.-----------------------------------e'. ,NcHCH'OAI) ---------------------------~£;~~~~~~-.~ DETAIL CONSTRUCTION or THE RIB

l:o"t'ts::1£"r ~!if GUSS[T ~LATU ~ M IILYWOOD Ollt 'IK""""~ .

DETAIL OF THE AILERON RIB AND CONSTRUCTION

-COMPLETE DETAILS Of" THE WiNe RIB AND­"THE ASSEMBL.Y Of" AILERON AND HORN­

'__II"~-W'IHG(. TUH

IIHINGE TEMPLET TO~ YI[W S_ VIEW 12• • [Q'O. III-GA. HINGE ASSEMBLtO

DETAIL or AILERON HINGE ,-HIHGt3 ~'" AILCIION

16 JANUARY 1982

To save work it is advisable to assemble the wing on a table to which blocks have been fastened in a straight line so that they will just fit inside the spars. This will enable you to remove the wing from the jig true, if equal pres­sure has been put on the brace wires.

In assembling the wing, slide the wings on the spars to their approximate place. Then put ply­wood reinforcements on at the fitting, joints and drill for fitting . The ribs may then be slid to the correct place and nailed and glued firm.

The jig for the wing ribs may be made similar to that of the fuselage, but it is better to lay out the rib full size, from the di­mensions given on the working drawing, on a large piece of heavy paper, the paper being fastened to a flat board of suffi· cient size.

The boundaries and keepers for the cap strips and diagonals

Complete details of the flying strllfs and attachment fittings are given on this plate. All struts are of 1~ in. by .032 ga.. chrome molybdenum steel tub· ing, streamlined with ribs of % in. by 22 gao a,lumin,um sol· dered to the struts and spaced 9 in. from center to center. These are covered with a·ir· cra,ft fabric ' and doped. If these struts are constrllcted ac· curately you . won't have to worry about the angle of at· tack of the wings, as this has been taken care of Oil> the drawi n9S.

should be formed out of rib stock. This rib stock may either be pur­chased ready cut, or may be made in your own shop by sawing spruce into strips which are a full quarter of an inch square. Have all the rib stock of the same di· mensions. Blocks, of the same di­mensions as the spars, should be nailed in at their proper places.

When the jig is once made, making the ribs becomes a sim­ple process. The rib stock is cut to proper size and placed in the jig; then the junction points are covered with gusset plates cut from 1/16 in. plywood, glued on with casein glue, and nailed with 1,4 in. by 22 wire nails. When one side of the rib is fastened togeth­er, remove it from the jig and glue and nail the gusset plates over the junction points on the other side.

All ribs are alike except those forming the ailerons. To change the jig for your aileron ribs, cut out 1% in. immediately behind

DE T A IL OF REAR

__.-­ 4 " -­0-.

COVEA AN D DOP E - USE A

HIG H G RA DE

. ~~ ~ .. x 22 GA 8 A LU M INU M R IB S TO B E SP A CE .t.T 9 ~ 0 C

HAR D

w EL 0

S lOe: VIEW

LUG TO r USE l. A ( ,(

!

DETA IL O F FR O NT ST R U T ATTA C H > ITTI N G

2- R [ Q 'O. nHJS

the rear spar. A half inch block, representing the aileron spar, should be then nailed behind this cut-out on your jig, the strut and diagonal pieces at this section of the rib being moved back propor· tionately. A careful st~dy of the drawings will make this detail evident to you.

Incidentally, the dimensions of the aileron spar are not shown on the drawings. These spars (one for each wing) are of 1/2 in. spruce stock. The depth of all spars is best ascertained by meas· uring the openings after your air­foil is laid out.

When assembling your wing, have both end aileron hinges come inside the hinges on the spar. This is necessary to prevent the aileron from traveling side­wise.

The Empennage

The various photographs of the original ship, especially the one on the last page of this article,

-r-COMPLETE DETAILS O F THE ~ -i!- FLY ING STRU TS AND ATTA C H FITTINGS -=­

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

5 T RUT ATTACH FITTING 2 - REG ' 0 . THUS

METHOD or ADJUSTING vERTICAL fiN AND · STABILIZERS

INNER PULLEY ON rR·ONT SPAR

rOR CONTROL CABLE z .... [Q·O THUS

-MISCELLANEOUS -REQUIRED rOR THE

------~---------51------......_I ~-----4)r-------~

OUTER PULLEY fOR AILERON-FOR

iCONTROL CABLE 2-R[Q'D THUS

:l -'

° r ;, ~

-' -' i Q

1 "

DETAILS-WING-

These details are required in the win9 construction.

18 JANUARY 1982

~

RILL 1i g L-~. ~~..;.;;,;~,.~:""---1HOLE ~ ~

HINGE LUGS ARE I ---_---1--;.---Itt.Io!~=~~~,......,,.._..:.•.....l. WELDED T~TU8[S I~Oo:~R!.U~~:S .... SIDE,,- 'ff - DETAILS OF VERTICAL fiN

-:::.:- __ __ ....-- BOTH [NOS OF HORN WtL1D DRILL Ii HOLES IN AND TH£ RUDDER

: . • • _ I = u----;~~!T V:E-;----C~~ND HOANS AS

...

510£ VIEW

VIEW

VERTlCAL~ HOLE'; ft

SHOWN FOA STIFFEN ING

1-4----4- TOP '" lEW ._

DETAIL Of ELEVATOR AND RUDDER HORN

LDING 0(r=lfTlt-If.J~~ DRILL 12+=N( ~~~~~~~ ~ ~' , HOLES 11111..

.; :> r l-

e; if w IE

:..

w

"~ 1:

Z 0 a: w ..J

~~ .. a: 0

0

'" a: 3 rJ w a: w CO :> l-

e: w .. -' !! ~ z i: !+or

!!

A good idea of the general appea,rance of the flail

_ DETAILS Of RUDDER STAB. WIRE

AND STABILIZER HINGE BRACE LUG WIRE BRACE LUG f LuGS 27-A[Q.'o. "-GIl.

-COMPLETE DETAILS AND ASSEMBLY or THE TAIL GROUP ....

will give you a good idea of the zontal stabilizer assembly and the external appearance of the tail vertical-fin-rudder assembly save surfaces. The working drawing size and position. The stabilizer of the tail group will show you and rudder both have % in. by everything you will need to know .032 tube hinge beams, while about this part of the job. The en­ 5/16 in. by .032 and %. in. by tire empennage is welded up of .032 steel tubing is used else­steel tubing, and if you don't for­ where, as pointed out in the get the extra care which the drawing. smaller sized tubing will require You will find that the empen­in welding you should have no nage will warp considerably trouble with this work. There is where the light tubing is used, little difference between the hori- but with a little careful checking

assembly and ovtrigger is given by this photo.

and lining up by hand, bending cold, for there is little bending to be done, you will get a perfect job.

There is quite a trick to heat­ing a steel tube in the proper place to get the right results. Heat the tube on the side which is to be bent to a dull red. At first this actually increases the bend, but when the tubing cools off you will find that it has as­sumed an angle opposite to the original bend, and almost invari­ably comes out exactly right.

In handling small tubing, ex­treme care must be taken not to get the metal too hot and burn the tubing. It is easy to tell if the weld is good. If it is so clean that it looks as if new metal had been placed there the job is okay. A poor weld has a sand effect on the outside and is very scaly. If these faults show up, throw that piece away and build a new piece. It is for this reason that I advise that you call in a we)der for a couple of days if you can't do a good job yourself. The man's wages could easily be less than the cost of the material you might spoil.

Controls The working drawing on the

last page of this article gives such a complete description of the con­trol assembly that further com­ment is unnecessary. You will note that the pedal assembly is for dual controls, while there is only one stick, which is rigged up in the center of the cockpit. The pilot, therefore, will have the stick at one side instead of be­tween his legs. The gun should be placed on the most convenient side for the one who will usual­ly do the taking off and landing. If dual control is not desired, one set of pedals may be omitted.

Rigging Both wing panels should be set

exactly alike. The horizontal sta­bilizer should be level unless it is found necessary to correct for ei­ther nose or tail heaviness. Take

These working drawings show the method of attaching the wing to the top longerons, and give fuU de­tails for the dual control foot pedal assembly. One set of pedals may be omitted if desired.

S[[ O£TAIL'0_FLYING STIlUTS

-DETAIL OF SPAR'" ...ATT ACH FITT ING FOR+ END VIEW

SPAR ATTACH fiTTING • • • [QUI.ED I!' GA.

REAR 'LYING S'TRU'T

... COMPLETE DETAILS or .. +THE REAR SPAR ATTACH

-FITTING FOR THE+­END VIEW "'REAR FLYING STRUT • ... FRONT rLYING STRUT'" or fiTTING or rlTTING

These two working drawings give dimensions and details for attaching the front a.nd rea'r flyin.g struts to the wing spars. You will note that the spruce spars are protected by placing a piece of % in. plywood between them and the strut fittings, which are made of 20 gao steel. The flying struts are attached to the spars between the last two full accurately.

W[LDING

f BOLT

END VIEW ....-=Oc:...r..;,F;.,;IT'-;Tr'N.:.;C"--____"'T'"/,i· "AOIUS

, ·i·--~~~

t :""""""':HDOH : I OOT,T(.D UNES~

. I ,, ,

LOWER fiTTING

-COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE­"CENTER - WING ATTACH flTTING­

ribs on each wing. Place these fittings

SUPPORT FOR THE OUTER BEARINCS

..OUNT ON'----..·-;1COCKPIT F'LOO TO SUIT P ILOT ..­

NOTE : AU.. TuaES rOA THE rOOTPEOAL. .AE i- 11..049

..~~~£» U WASHER

AND BEARINC CRIL.L Ii- HOL,U

IN ALL PLAns

CABLE AND SPRINC ATTACH LUG 2· <a.'D.

-COMPLETE DETAILS­-FOR FOOT PEDAL ...

-ASSEMBLY'"

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

~----------28~~'--------~-r­ --t-'l~-----211i"=--------tf;,f SPRuCE

'LOOR BRACES

COCKPIT 'LOOR .032f'" ' SlOP COLLAR S

SlOE VIEW [NO VIEW SIDE VIEW OF THE COMPLETE CONTROLS

THE SCALE 9 18 DETAIL OF CONTROL BEARING

g 12 -THE COMPLETE ASSEMBLY OF THE CONTROLS­ 2 · BEARINGS AND COLLARS AEQ'D FOR TORQUE TuBEIN INCHES

plenty of time, get everything cor­rect, and a good flying ship will be your reward.

Covering and Doping This procedure should be car­

ried out by the envf:lope method wherever possible, and the open edges hand sewed. Use three coats ,Of clear dope and two of pigmented dope, applying the first coat with either a brush or a low pressure spray gun. Be sure the first coat thoroughly penetrates and fills the fabric and that all other coats thorough­ly cover. Doping should be done under fairly warm conditions and each coat permitted to dry be­fore further application. • ••

20 JANUARY 1982

This photo, looking into the c.ockpit from the left rear, offers suggestion for placing the plywood inlStrument board.

f:inish the job so your plane will present a smart appearance. The original "Bathtub" is trim.

MI~MIII~IIS' I·'RO,JI~(JTS This section of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE is ded­

icated to members and their aircraft projects. We wel­come photos along with descriptions, and the projects can be either completed or underway. Send material to the editor at the address shown on page 3 of this issue.

(Ted Koston photo)

This extremely rare Beech Staggerwing is owned by Dick Hansen (A/C 1549), Batavia, IL and Dick Perry (A/C 424), Hampshire, IL. It is a 1934 Model B17L, NC270Y, SIN 3, the first production model Staggerwing and the one used in obtaining the Model 17 type certificate (ATC #560). The fuselage is being restored under the supervision of Rick Leyes in a shop at Dick Hansen's Furnas Electric Co. at Batavia, IL. The 225 hp Jacobs L-4 engine is being over­hauled by AI Ball of Antique Aero Engines, Santa Pa'ula, CA. The wings and tail group were restored by Arnie Nieman (A/C 449) of Custom Aircraft, Ocala, FL.

Hansen and Perry have set a goal of completion in time to fly the B17L to Wichita, KS in June, 1982 to take part in the 50th anniversary celebration of Beechcraft.

Award winning 1946 Aeronca Champ, N83633, SIN 7AC-2311 was owned by Melvin B. Hill (EAA 86667, AlC 2149), 102 Ash St., Danville, IL 61832 and won trophies at Oshkosh in '74, '75, '76, and '77. The plane has since been sold.

Mr. Paul H. Poberezny President, EAA

Dear Mr. Poberezny: I have just received the Experimental Aircraft As­

sociation Achievement Award. It has been a very appreciated surprise and I want

to express my sincere thanks to you. I am sending you two pictures of my plane I-SLIM

and you will see how I take care of it. Thank you again and my appreciation for the beauti­

ful monthly magazine I receive . With best regards,

Yours sincerely, Franco Galliena (EAA 146951) Via Nico.1o Tartaglia 7 20100 Milan, Italy

CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARCH 14-20 - LAKELAND, FLORIDA - 1982 Sun 'N Fun EAA Fly-In. JULY 31 - AUGUST 7 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - 30th Annual EAA

Never too early to start your plans for going south. Contact Allan Fly-In Convention. It's ne)/er too early to start making plans for the Duncan, 816 Fairway Ave.. Lakeland, FL 33801. world's GREATEST AVIATION EVENT.

JUNE 4-8 - MERCED MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, CALIFORNIA - Merced AUGUST 9-14 - FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN - Annual International West Coast Antique Fly-In Silver Anniversary celebration. For Aerobatlc Club Champlon.hlp. and Convention. Contact lAC, P. O. further information contact Dee Humann, P.O. Box 2312, Merced, Box 229, Hale. Comere, WI 53130. CA 95344. 209/358-3487.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

WEAR the IMAGE in an Antique/Classic jacket and cap Send Check To:

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.

WORLD WAR 1 ~

WORlD WAR I AEROPLANES. INC. i s a Wt-ex.apt non-profit o"'1ani ­zation founded in 1961 to b .. ing tog.th... buil d.M. restoreM. scale-fllClClell.M. Md historians of p....1919 aeroplanes; and to ,..ke availabl. to. th. in1'o....tion about parts. drawings. whole a1I"Cra1't. and all the books and techniques which would be of us. to th • •

We won clos. ly with lllUSeIIIS. l1b .. a .. i .s. collectoM. d.sign.M. histo..ians. supply-houses. build.M. pilots. and oth... av iation o"'1aniutions and j ournals. W. are the only o"'1anization to dul sol.ly with the design and construction of these machin.s. WI and p....WIII as well .

To these ends we publ1sh au.. j ournal. WORLD WAR I AEROPlANES. five tl_ a YO" 1'0.. -s_ 800 ~M throughout the wo..ld. and conduct a substantial i n1'orwation s ...... i c. by mail and t.lephone; we mainta1n an IlP-to-ciate 1'11. of both original and reproduction ail"Cl"I1't all ave" the wo..ld ( th .... a... s_ 700 of the fa".... and s_ 900 of the latta..:) .

The o"'1aniution hIS operated fro. the begi nning on voluntary contributions 1'0" printing. postag•• telephoning. photography. fees; and we saJ1 back issues. xerox copi es of ea .. l y a i l"Cra1't and eng1n. IIIIIIUI1s and woning dl"lwings. and approp .. iatl advlrtising. SMlpI. issue $3 .

~ CRESCENT RD., PoUGHKEEPSIE. N.Y. 12.&01

FLYING AND GLIDER MANUALS

1929, 1930, 1931 1932, 1933

2.50 ea. SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO :

EAA Air Museum Foundation, Inc. Box 469 Hales Corners, WI 53130

Allow 4-6 Weeks For Delivery Wisconsin Residents Include 4% Sales Tax

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE ADVERTISING RATES

DISPLA Y RATES: 1 Issue 3 Issues 12 Issues

1 Page $150.00 $145.00 $125.00 112 Page 90.00 85.00 80.00 113 Page 80.00 75 .00 70.00 114 Page 60.00 55.00 50.00 116 Page 50.00 45.00 40.00 118 Page 40.00 35.00 30.00

Rates are for black and white camera-ready ads. Layout Work: $22.00 per hour.

CLASSIFIED DISPLA Y RATE: Regular type per word 40c. Bold Face Type: per word 45c. ALL CAPS: per word 50c (Minimum charge $6.00). (Rate covers one insertion one issue. )

COMMISSIONS: Non·Commissionable.

Jacket: Unlined Poplin jacket, features knit waist and cuffs. The gold and white braid trim on a Tan body emphasizes the colors proudly dis­played in the Antique/Classic logo. Sizes : X-small thru X-large

$28.95 ppd

Cap: Complete the look in th is gold mesh hat with contrasting blue bill , trimmed with a gold braid. Your logo visibly displayed , makes this adjustable cap a must. Sizes : M & ·L (adjustable rear band)

$6.25 ppd

P.O. Box 229 Hales Corners, WI 53130 Allow 4-6 Weeks For Delivery

Wisconsin Residents Include 4% Sales Tax

22 JANUARY 1982

CLASSIFIED ADS ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of un­limited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy to follow plans, includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings, photos and exploded views . Complete parts and materials list. Full size wing drawings . Plans plus 88 page Builder's Manual - $60.00. Info Pack - $4.00. Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing - $15.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 4141 425-4860.

DRESS IT UP

WITH A NEW

II~ I N T E RIO R ! All Items READY -MADE for Ea~y

DO·IT· YOURSELF INSTALLATION Seat Upholstery - Wall Panels

Headliners - Carpets - etc.

Ceconite Envelopes and Dopes

-Send for FREE Catalog Fabric Selec;tion Guide· $3.00

,4~P~,1~. 259 Low.r Morrisvill. Rd .

~~~ Fallsingtan, Po. 19054 . 1 VISA' (215) 295 - 4115

:~.\.:... ~~

ACRO II - The new 2-place aerobatic trainer and sport biplane. 20 pages of easy to follow , detailed plans. Com­plete with isometric drawings, photos, exploded views. Plans - $85.00. Info Pack - $4.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., P.O . Box 462, Hales Cor­ners, WI 53130.414/425-4860.

POBER P,IXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low. cost pleasure flying . Big, roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot. VW power insures hard to beat 3% gph at cruise setting . 15 large instruction sheets . Plans - $45.00. Info Pack - $4.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 4141 425-4860.

WANTED: For my Curtiss Wright Junior restoration, parts or pieces, any condition. Contact Gene Chase at EAA Headquarters, P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414/425-4860 or 414/425-8851.

AVAILABLE BACK ISSUES

1973 March through December 1974 All Are Available 1975 All Are Available 1976 February through May, August through

December 1977 All Are Available 1978 January through March, August, October

through December 1979 February through December 1980 January, March through July, September

through December 1981 All Are Available

Back issues are available from Headquarters for $1.25 each, postpaid, except the July 1977 (Lindbergh Com­memorative) issue, which is $1.50 postpaid.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION • Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association. Inc, is $25,00 for one year, $48,00 for 2 years

and $69.00 for 3 years , All include 12 issues of Sport Aviation per year, Junior Membership (under 19fAA years of age) is available at $15,00 annually, Family Membership is available for an additional $10,00 annually,

• EAA Member - $14 .00, Includes one year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division , 12 monthlyANTIQUf­ issues of The Vin tage Airp lane and membership card, Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EAA membership number.)

CLASSIC • Non-EAA Member - $24,00, fncludes one year membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane, one year membership in the EAA and separate membership cards . Sport Aviation not included,

• Membership in the International Aerobatic ClUb , Inc. is $16,00 annually which i ncludes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics. All lAC members are required to be members of EAAlAC

• Membership in the Warbirds of America , Inc, is $20,00 per year , which includes a subscription to Warbirds Newsletter. Warbird members are required to be members of EAAWARBIRDS

ULTRALIGHT • Membership in the EAA Ultralight Assn, is $25,00 per year which includes the Ultralight publication ($15,00 additional for Sport Aviation magazine). For current EAA members only, $15,00, which includes Ultralight publication ,

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO EAA OR THE DIVISION IN WHICH MEMBERSHIP IS DESIRED, ADDRESS ALL LETTERS TO EAA OR THE PARTICULAR DIVISION AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:

P.O. BOX 229 '- HALES CORNERS, WI 53130 - PHONE (414) 425-4860 OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 - 5:00 MONDAY·FRIDAY

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23