Vintage Airplane - Nov 1986

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Nov 1986

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STR IGHT ND LEVELBIG BROTHER - BIG NUMBERS - BIG SHAFT

It was 1969 when those of us in-terested in the future of general aviationwere watching the progress of a newaviation bill working its way throughCongress. We were involved in letterwriting, telephoning and appearing aswitnesses at various congressionalhearings at the stale and federal level.This new legislation was designed togenerate the fund to build, equip andmaintain the airports and airways as setforth in the new FAA Master Plan .This new Airport and Airways bill wasto be the answer by establishing usertaxes. These taxes would accomplishthe goal of completely updating and re-building our entire airport and airwaysystem according to the Master Plan .The money to pay for this multi-billiondollar program was to come from taxeslevied on avgas, jet fuel , aircraft tiresand tubes, airline tickets, air freightshipments, international airport tax, anda tax on civil aircraft . We can all re-member when we paid a tax on ourairplanes of $25.00 plus 2 cents perpound over 2500 Ibs . gross weight, andit lasted for ten years.In other words, if we used the airspace and/or the airway facilities, weas users would pay the bill. Evidentlyenough of us agreed to the Federal UseTax, and the legislation which was to beall things to all aviation became lawunder the Airport and Airways Development Act of 1970.The second bill to levy the taxes waspassed shortly thereafter and the newtaxes as established by the law were tobe placed in a trust fund with the officialname of Airport and Airways TrustFund. We all agreed this was a big stepin the right direction . Now we wouldhave the billions of dollars necessary tomodernize our airway system and to improve and build additional airports. I amsure you noticed I used the word billion

by Bob Lickteiging these past 2000 years. At that rateit would take you another thousandyears to save one billion dollars. Anotherexample - one billion one dollar bills(placed end-to-end) would circle theearth four times at the equator.For the government fiscal year of1971, the tax money began to roll inand our hopes ran high. This short condensed report covers the first 15 yearsof our trust fund use.Now I must admit that 15 years is along time and the intent and the bestinterest of Congress always changeswhen the bureaucrats within any government agency interpret the law theirway. The past few years we have readand heard so much about the FAA raiding the trust fund for their operation, andraids they are. Congress , which wrotethe law, imposed the taxes, and createdthe trust fund, looked upon the act as avehicle for securing a level of capitalinvestment in airport and airwayfacilities far greater than could be secured through general taxation .An impartial review of the history ofthe act makes clear that the primary objective was capital development and

maintenance plus their pet engineeringproject. Not bad for openers. Now wehave approximately $13 billion left tobuild airports - well not exactly. Againthe FAA used $3.5 billion of the trustfunds for Facilities and Equipment.Now we come to the category,Grants In Aid for Airports . This is whatthe new law and the trust fund wasenacted and established for. During thepast 15 years, $6 billion has beenspent. Sounds great - but wait - the formula for Grants In Aid For Airports isset at 50% for airline terminals basedon the number of enplaned passengers ,whether airports need the money or not.Now did you ever see an airport commission that wouldn't take it? At thispoint, you can now see that over thelast 15 years, general aviation has re-ceived approximately 3 billion in federal grants from the trust fund.One item I must not overlook. Duringthese 15 years, our trust fund has re ceived 4 .2 billion in interest earned.This means that general aviation did notreceive as much as the interest the trustfund received .One research company summed it up- the losers were those who paid theusers taxes and didn't get what theywere promised for accepting the additional tax burden.I know my billions didn't add up.That's because the trust fund receivedtransfers in the early days from the general fund in the amount of $1.5 billion.So where do we go from here? The1987 FAA proposed budget is againplanning to spend the trust fund moneyfor their own operations plus other projects. Their proposed budget calls for2.1 billion of the trust fund to be used.They are blaming this on the GrammRudman-Hollings law.Admiral Engen, the FAA administrator, has said many times the lack of


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T l ~

NOVEMBER 1986 Vol. 14 No.

PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTomPobereznyDIRECTORMARKETING&COMMUNICATIONSDickMattEDITORGeneR. Chase

CRE ATIVEARTDIRECTORMikeDrucksMANAGINGEDITOR/ADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORNormanPetersenDickCavinFEATUREWRITERSGeorgeA.Hardie,Jr .DennisParks

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERSPre sident VicePresident

R J.Lickteig M.C."Kelly" Viets3tOO Pruitt Rd . Rt. 2,Box128PortSt. Lucie. FL 33452 Lyndon,KS 66451305/335-705t 913/828-3518Secretary TreasurerRonaldFritz E.E."Buck" Hilbertt540t SpartaAvenue P.O.Box145KentCity.MI49330 Union,IL60180616/678-5012 815/923-4591

DIRECTORSJohn S.Copeland StanGomoll9JoanneDrive 104290thLane,NEWestborough,MA 01581 Minneapolis,MN 55434617/366-7245 6121784 1172DaleA.Gustafson EspleM.Joyce,Jr .7724ShadyHillDrive Box468Indianapolis,IN 46278 Madison,NC27025317/293-4430 919/427-0216Arthur R. Morgan GeneMorris3744North51 st Blvd. 115CSteveCourt ,R R 2Mi lwaukee.WI 53216 Roanoke,TX76262414/442-3631 817/491-9110DanielNeuman RayOlcott152tBerneCircleW. 1500KingsWay

Minneapolis,MN 55421 Nokomis,FL335556t2/571-0893 813/485-8139John R. Turgyan S.J.WittmanBox229.R.F.D.2 Box2672Wrightstown,NJ 08562 Oshkosh,WI54903

609 58 2910 414/235-1265GeorgeS.York181 SlobodaAve.Mansfield, OH 44906

Copyright ' 1986bytheEAAAntique/ClassicDivision .Inc.All rights reserved.

Contents2 Straight andLevelbyBobLickteig4 AlCNewsbyGene Chase4 Book ReviewsbyGeneChase5 Vintage LiteraturebyDennisParks6 "MISSCHAMPION"- Pitcairn-Cierva AutogiroPCA-2byGeneChase13 Mystery PlanebyGeorgeA Hardie,Jr.

4 Restoration Corner - Assembly andRiggingbyGeneMorris16 Clip Wing CubbyNormPetersen

19 ATour Through the Continental Motors PlantbyE.E."Buck"Hilbert2 Welcome New Members21 Type Club ActivitiesbyGene Chase22 TravelAirbyGene Chase25 NewProductsbyGeneChase26 Letters to the Editor27 Calendar of Events27 VintageSeaplanesbyNormPetersenFRONT COVER . . .With the polished spinners and ch rome valvecovers spark ling In the morning sunshine. father and son team of Page22Henry and Chuck Geissler (EAA 86004.N 4179) lorm up on theEAAphotoplane overLakeWinnebagoduringOshkosh'86.ThisReedClipWingCub.N2039M.SIN20807.wastotallyrebuiltduringthepastthreeyearsby th iS fatherandsoncombination .Seestoryon page16 .(Photo by Carl Schuppel)BACKCOVER...1929StinsonSM -2AB "Junior"with225hp WrightJ-5.Th is is NC8444.SiN1065. Ship NO .3owned by the NaturalineCo .of America.manufacturersof aviation fuel in Tulsa,OK . It waswidelyusedasacorporateaircraftby Naturaline.(EAAArchivePhoto- WalterKloseCollection)

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ThewordsEAA,ULTRALIGHT.FLYWITHTHEFIRSTTEAM,SPORTAVIATION.andthelogosofEXPERIMENTAL


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Compiled by Gene ChaseOLDEST FOKKER

After being stored in Poland for manyyears, the oldest surviving Fokker, a1913 Spin (Spider) was returned to theFokker company where it will be restored for static display.The tail group, wheels and propellerare missing and will have to be repli cated, but the rest of the airframe is ingood condition. Power is a 70 hp Renault. The public may be allowed towatch the restoration work which willtake place at the Aviodome Museum atSchiphol Airport, Amsterdam.This particular Spin was made upfrom components from several otheraircraft built in the Fokker factory at

A variant o the Fokker Spin.Johannisthal, Berlin. After World WarOne, Fokker himself took it to theNetherlands where it was rebuilt for display in his company's headquarters inAmsterdam. Following their invasion in1940 the Germans returned the craft toBerlin where it was displayed in thegreat Deutsche Luftfahrt Sammlung(German Aviation Collection) . From

t ~ r it was taken to Poland with many

other aircraft from the collection.It remained as part of the Polish national aviation and space museum's collection in Krakow until this year, whenlengthy negotiations for its return werecompleted.When the final restoration is finishedthe Spin will probably be displayed onceagain in the Fokker Company's officesin Amsterdam.

U ) )k l2eviewIOW T KES TO TH IR - VolumeTwo 1919-1941, Aerodrome Press,1986. 336 pages and 176 photographs.

This is an excellent account of aviation activity in Iowa from the barnstorming days following WW I through theGolden Age era of the '20s and '30s.Noted pilot and author, Ann Pellegreno,through extensive research hasdocumented the aviation events andparticipants during these exciting years.Except during the Great Depression,aeronautical activity was at an all-timehigh with Iowans designing and building


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yDennis ParksEAA Library Archives DirectorSKYWAYS

The interest in aviation developmentsduring the Second World War spurreda large response from magazine publishers. Over 30 aviation titles wereavailable during the war, most of whichhad begun during the war. Among thenew titles were: IR AGE IR LIFEAIR NEWS IR PILOT ND TECHNI-CIAN IR TECH IRCR FT GEAVIA TlON NEWS FL YING GE andFL YING CADET.Most of these new titles did not survive the war or much beyond it. One ofthem, IR LIFE survived only one issue;another, IR PICTORIAL lasted onlyone year. This month's subject, SKY-WA YS was able to continue until 1963.SKYWAYS which first appeared inNovember, 1942, was founded by J.Fred Henry with Hendry Lars Bart asmanaging editor. The first issue was ofgood size with 84 pages and 16 featurearticles. There was quite a range of topics covered besides the expected military aviation. There was a retrospectivelook at the commercial airlines, ''TheAirlines Carry On; an article on stall design of new trainers, ''There's no Stalling on Safety; speed limits in aircraftdesign, Are Super-Sonic SpeedsFeasible? and a look at future personalplanes, Skyways of the Future - apreview of the 1952 Flivers.Among the authors appearing in themagazine during the 1940s were : Hanson W. Baldwin, famous military historian; Gill Robb Wilson, later the editorof FL YING and Don Downie, now asenior editor of KITPLANES and PRI-VATE PILOT.Among the many people being discharged in 1946 was Dilbert the Dope.Well known to naval aviators as the car

cut-a-way drawing done by DouglasRolfe.One of the first articles covered wasthe North American P-51 Mustangwhich appeared in the January 1944issue. The article was written by EdgarSchmued, the designer of the Mustang.Reflecting war time interests, all of theearly aircraft covered in the series werewarbirds, mainly fighters. Both U.S. andforeign aircraft were presented, including the Hellcat, Corsair, Havoc, Zero,Lancaster and Fw-190.The drawings were originally on twopages folded in the binding, later theformat became a two-page drawing ona three-page fold out, and finally it be came three full pages. These large foldouts had the photos on the back for athree-page photo spread.The first appearance of a light planein the series was in the April 1945 issue;the Aeronca Super Chief being the subject. Other aircraft to appear in 1945mixed in with the warbirds were the Ercoupe and Luscombe Silvair.The article on the Aeronca stated thatwas a philosophy at the company thatIn order to attract the non-professionalflyer, an airplane must be somethingthey can handle without long schooling

. have a low landing speed . a lowstalling point, and a long glide angle .After talking about the evolution of theAeroncas the post war planes were discussed. These included a four-place,cross country plane for the familytrade intended to compete in price withthe average automobile.The article closed with some remarksabout the current restrictive attitude ofthe CAA. An Aeronca sales managersaid , ''They should place the monkey

on the individual's shoulder instead ofmothering sheep. If they put more re-sponsibility on the individual, he shouldbe more careful. As far as the builder isconcerned, it is always a challenge tohim to make a plane that the averageguy can fly: he doesn't need to be told.In the April 1945 issue the emergingcompetition for the expected post-warlight plane boom was evidenced by thefull page ads from Piper, Culver, Luscombe (full color) and Stinson.During 1946 the Evolution seriesbecame the Plane of the Month seriesand each covered a personallightplane.These included the Stinson 150, Taylorcraft BC -12D and the Funk F2B (laterB-85-C). For some unknown reason thecut-a-way drawings started slipping,first going back to two page cut-a-waysand then ceasing with the September1946 issue.SKYWAYS probably reached its publishing peak in December, 1946 with its200-page National Aircraft ShowIssue. This issue contained more than100 pages of information, photos andspecs on new military, transport andcivilian planes. The civil plane sectionwas introduced by Henry Wallace, thenSecretary of Commerce.Mr. Wallace saw a tremendous increase in personal flying and said,Having learned to fly, I cannot imaginethe American public failing to take upthis new form of transportation. 1946was indeed a boom year with 35 ,000civil aircraft produced. But that first fullyear without war was also the peak yearas production dropped to 15 ,617 in1947.The December issue had descrip

(Continued on Page 24)


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Photo by Gene ChaseSteve Pitcairn w ipes down Miss Champion "after arrival at Oshkosh '86.

MISS CHAMPIONPitcairn Cierva Autogiro PCA 2by Carl Gunther and Gene Chase ters who had little understanding of theprinciples of autorotational flight , these

aviation. such as Charles Lindbergh ,Jimmy Doolittle, Frank Hawks, Amel iaEarhart, Clarence Chamberlin , DavidIngalls and many others were beating asteady path to Pitcairn Field near WillowGrove, Pennsylvania where Harold Pitcairn was designing and building thesephenomenal aircraft .

It wasn t long before Champion VicePresident M. C. Dewitt showed up atthe Pitcairn Aircraft Company office,prepared to do business . Pitcairn VicePresident Edwin Asplundh promptly ledMr. Dewitt out to the ramp in front of themain hangar doors where stood an autogiro with its engine idling. In the rearcockpit sat Jim Ray, Pitcairn's chief testpilot, who motioned Dewitt to climb intothe front seat. As soon as Dewitt 'ssafety belt was fastened , Jim engagedthe clutch , bringing the rotor up to flightspeed, and executed a short steeptakeoff within the confines of thefenced-in ramp area .The demonstration of the autogiro 'scharacteristics to which Jim treated Dewitt included the usual aerial maneuvers and then a throttled-back pass atthe field a mere fifteen feet above thegrass at a speed of less than thirty milesper hour, yet under complete control.and finally a vertical "dead-stick" landing from 500 feet on the exact spot fromwhere they had departed ten minutesearlier with a roll of only two or threefeet. Dewitt, who was no stranger to flying, climbed out on the wing as soon asthe engine stopped, and with a big grinon his face said, ''I'm impressed , butcan our pilot do tha ?" "Who is yourpilo ?" Jim asked . "Captain Lewis A.Yancey, if he can handle it," replied Dewitt . "I know Yancey , said Jim. "He'll dofine .As a matter of fact , "Lon" Yancey,famed for his trans-Atlantic flight in aBellanca in 1929 to Rome, Italy. hadalready been receiving autogiro flight instruction from Jim and "Skipper" Lukens, another Pitcairn pilot, for severaldays. His handling of the autogiro wasquite acceptable. With more experiencehe became an accomplished autogiropilot with the capability of handling theroutines autogiro demonstrations calledfor.


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Photo by Cart SchuppetThe markings were accurately reproduced from the original fabric, except for Steve'sname at the rear cockpit.Thus was born Miss Champion

the first rotary wing aircraft everselected to lead the Ford Air Tour. Twodays after the autogiro's delivery at Toledo, Ohio, Captain Yancey took ofrom Ford Airport with the 1931 NationalAir Tour. The Champion autogiro wasthe OHicial Tour Ship. During the tour,Miss Champion visited 21 states and38 cities and towns from London, Ontario, Canada to New Orleans,Louisiana; from Fort Worth , Texas toKalamazoo, Michigan. Total mileagewas well in excess of 6,500, with herflight log showing more than 120 hoursaloft. Everywhere the autogiro landed itat1racted wide at1ention, and easily wonthe major share of newspaper and radiocoverage, a fact that visibily annoyed anumber of the other pilots on the tour .After the Air Tour, the ChampionCompany put Miss Champion to workget1ing publicity for Champion dealersfrom Maine to Florida. Her demonstrations of controlled slow flight , unusualmaneuverability, and near vertical landings at the annual National Air Racesbrought national recognition to this newand safer form of flight.

ply. He then successfully began hismost miraculous flight of all fromHavana, over the Cuban wilderness,across the wide and treacherous watersof the Yucatan Channel (part of the Gulfof Mexico), over the trackless expanseof the Yucatan jungles to its capital ofMerida, a non-stop trip of nearly 500miles, where he was welcomed by thegovernor .It was from the ancient city of Meridathat Captain Yancey made a number offlights to the capital of the Mayan Empire at Chichen Itza, even landing infront of the famed Temple of the Serpents - the great Mayan pyramid . The

ability of Miss Champion to fly slowlyand even hover over certain spotshelped the archeologists make new discoveries that could have taken years onthe ground. Back in the U.S. subsequent flights into the Yosemite Valleyin California and the crater of CraterLake, Oregon were a piece of cake bycomparison .Miss Champion was not just acuriosity of her era. Wherever she flewshe engendered confidence in themethod of flight as a truly safe form ofaerial navigation. She was a hardworker, too, often towing advertisingbanners over the cities she visited , attracting valuable at1ention to the products her banner proclaimed . The Champion Company declared in a let1er toPitcairn Aircraft, builders of their autogiro, that the value of the aircraft in increasing sales and goodwill toward theirproducts was beyond estimate.Miss Champion was one of the firstof her type to appear in the UnitedStates and was retired from active service, after setting a new altitude recordon September 25, 1932 of 21 ,500 feet,the highest a rotary-wing aircraft hadever flown . In her way, Miss Champion had been a miSSionary, her clumsyappearance appealing to the imagination of the public and winning its confidence through her ability to deliver thegoods with complete safety. She wasretired with honor as a permanentexhibit of Chicago's RosenwaldMuseum of Science and Industry in thespring of 1935.After World War II , the museum hadto give up Miss Champion in favor ofmore timely exhibits from the recent


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reinstalled, but a few items had to beremanufactured, since replacementparts did not exist. Fortunately the original Pitcairn factory drawings were inSteve's possession .One of the most important tasks inthe restoration process was the rebuilding of the rotor blades. Each main sparhad to undergo rigid x-ray inspection tomake sure there was no corrosion orcracks in the steel tubes which servedas the backbone of these rotatingwings. Then each rib with its spar-attachment collar had to be inspected andvery often replaced because of damage, cracks or other defects.It was during this tedious but crucialpart of the job that Townson noticed thatthe airfoil curve of the ribs actually usedin the rotor blades was slightly differentfrom the curve called for by the Pitcairnengineering specifications. Accordingto this official document, the airfoil usedwas the Goettingen 429. But whenTownson placed one of the ribs he hadremoved over the official drawing, hesaw immediately that the curve was justslightly different.Methodically he checked each ribthroughout the length of the spar butfound the same small but definite difference. Had someone made them allwrong, or was this a planned departurefrom the original specs? Knowing thecare with which the Pitcairn people didtheir jobs, he reasoned that it was morelikely that this was a deliberate designmodification . He reached for the phoneand called Carl Gunther, the Pitcairn archivist , and after briefly outlining theproblem, asked him if he knew of anything in the old Autogiro Company re-cords that would confirm or deny hissuspicions.Requests of this kind were not newto Gunther, who had presided over therecords for more than 15 years. As amatter of fact he had just recently set

Pitcairn Archive PhotoChampion Spark Plug PCA 2 Pitcairn autogiro undergoing rotor run up tests at factory1931.

world conflict, and this vintage lady wasreleased into the knowledgeable careof Mr . A. K. Miller of Montclair, New Jersey, who kept her in his own museumfor many years until he was forced toclose it down and move to other quarters. Miller couldn 't bear the thought ofgiving up this magnificent relic of thepioneering era in American aviation , sohe disassembled her and moved herinto a barn on his farm in Vermont,where she gathered dust for manyyears.Meanwhile, Stephen Pitcairn , (EAA109260, AlC 4080), 2410 TerwoodDrive, Bryn Athyn , PA 19009, son ofHarold Pitcairn, the aviation pioneerand winner of the Collier Trophy for hisdevelopment of the autogiro in thiscountry, had begun the formidable taskof collecting and restoring examples ofhis father's aircraft. The first to be completed by Steve was the PA-5 Mailwing ,originally built for his father in 1928.Next was a PA-7 Sport Mailwing, whichwon for Steve the Silver Age ChampionAward at the 1983 EAA Convention atOshkosh, Wisconsin.Somewhere along the line, Steveheard about the autogiro owned by Mr.Miller. After several attempts to communicate by mail, Steve went to Ver

certificate with most ratings . He holdscommercial fixed wing, helicopter andautogiro ratings along with flight instruction ratings for these types. He is anaccomplished practical engineer . Heis a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, making first flightsin several experimental rotor craft in the1940s including the 'world's largesf(Piasecki XHRP-1, Tandem Rotor)helicopter. He built, from scratch, asmall racing plane and a light, tandemrotor helicopter.Before joining Stephen Pitcairn hehad been chief inspector and director ofengineering for a regional air carrier .Under his supervision, Miss Champion was stripped of her original cover(the logos and numerals were saved tobe copied), and the painstaking processof inspection began. Careful notation ofitems to be worked on were listed inorder of priority. Eighty-five percent ofthe original parts were refurbished and


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Pitcairn Archives PhotoCaptain Yancey was permitted to make two landings in Yosemite Valley, CA on May 22,1932. Here a newsreel cameraman is ropedinto the front cockpit to film the event.hours on the plane, he departed onThursday, July 3 , hoping to arrive atOshkosh August 1, opening day of theEAA Convention.

He battled inclement weather associated with a warm front until crossingthe Allegheny Mountains when thingsbegan to clear up.The first leg of his flight was 1:45 toa refueling stop at Carlisle, PA wherehe would also check his calculated fuelconsumption. There he landed into thewind across the runway utilizing theSTOL characteristics of the autogiro . Al-

though the plane carries 52 gallons offuel, Steve plans his cross-country legsat a conservative maximum of 2 hours5 minutes.His next stop was at Beaver CountyAirport, northwest of Pittsburgh andfrom there he flew to Bluffton, Ohio (be


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centrifugal force holding them out , therotor blades didn't contact the runwayuntil they slowed and were suspendedby their respective droop cables. Onlythe rotor blade tips touched very lightly,doing minimal damage.The airport owner and manager,Harold Carey came out on his golf cart,sized up the situation and said he'd calla wrecker from town to hoist the planeand move it off the runway . This wasaccomplished and it was moved into ahangar where it rested on some barrelswhile the landing gear was repaired .Steve contacted George Townsonback home and he came to Bluffton tosupervise the repair job. Thanks to theassistance of some local folks and theavailability of a machine shop and welding facilities, the repairs were completed. In the meantime, Steve's goodfriends Wayne Hays and his wife ofRobbinsville, New Jersey, left threedays early on their vacation and brought

to Bluffton the needed materials fromSteve's hangar, including covering ma terial, paint and an extra set of streamline wires which had to be replaced be-tween the two landing gear N-struts .Wayne worked all the next day(Saturday) patching and painting thewing and rotor blades and by that evening , "Miss Champion" was ready for atest flight. Everything checked out okayand Steve departed on Sunday a.m. forOshkosh.A refueling stop was made at Valparaiso, Indiana then on to Chicagowhere Steve flew along the lake shorewith a breathtaking view looking up atthe city's skyscrapers A final fuel stopwas made at Hartford, Wisconsin andat 1 30 on Sunday afternoon, August 3,he touched down at Wittman Airfield -Oshkosh at last Time enroute was 10 .5hours.Steve thrilled Oshkosh '86 Convention-goers with his demonstration flights

on Monday during the "Parade of Flight"and again on Wednesday in the "Aircraft Showcase" preceding the airshow. The short field take off and landing capabilities of this 55-year-Old air-craft were most impressive, as were theextremely short radius turns wh ile air-borne.It was interesting to watch the startup, taxi and take off procedure for theautogiro . Taxiing is mostly conventionaleven without a steerable tailwheel (itstill has its original skid) . Steering onthe ground is strictly by use of brakes,a technique made somewhat easier be-cause of the wide 13 ft . 3 in .) tread ofthe landing gear.

Prior to take off the rotor blades arestarted into rotation by the pilot pullinga knob in the cockpit which engages aclutch, gearbox and shaft driven by theWright J6-9. A separate tachometer in-dicates the rotor speed and when 120rpm is reached the rotor drive unit isdisengaged, full power is applied to theWright and the pilot takes off. No-windtake off distance is 250' maximum; however, under certain conditions, it's possible to make a "jump take off" with zeroground roll.Normal landing approaches aremade at 20-25 mph forward speed , butit is possible to slow the autogiro in theair to zero forward speed and permit itto descend vertically to a landing. In aChampion Co. press release the vertical descent speed was described as "14feet per second, slower than a parachute." The beautifully restored PitcairnAutogiro would most certainly havereceived an award at Oshkosh '86 butSteve chose to not register it for judging.After Steve's uneventful 9.5 hourflight home from Oshkosh in "MissChampion" he began to do some thingsthat time did not permit earlier. Theplane was a little out of rig and thatneeded to be corrected. The pitch ofthe Hamilton-Standard propeller wasset too low, yielding a cruise speed ofonly 80 mph instead of the 95-98 calledfor in the specs.

Autogiro rotor blades "flap" (moderately) up and down, each pivoting on apin in a bronze bushing and by the time


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Photo by Gene ChSteve Pitcairn taxies his Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro at Oshkosh '86.ABOUT THE PCA-2

Pitcairn Aircraft built twenty or more ModelPCA-2 autogiros in their plant on PitcairnField , Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Thesethree-place utility aircraft quickly becamepromotional tools for various well-knowncompanies including the Detroit Newsnewspaper, Champion Spark Plug Co .,Standard Oil of New York , Sealed PowerPiston Ring Co. , Beechnut Packing Co., andothers. The Detroit News autogiro is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn ,Michigan.Listed below are speCifications and performance data.

Wing spanLengthHeightRotor DiameterRotor blade chordEmpty WeightGross WeightMaximum SpeedCruising SpeedLanding SpeedRate of ClimbService CeilingGas CapacityOil capacityCruising rangePrice (fly-away factory)

30'023113 '045'02222331bs.3000 Ibs.119 mph98 mphmph800 fpm15,000'52 gal6.5 gal290 miles$15,000

Bibliography1. Aircraft Biography. Miss Champion. byCarl R Gunther.2. Interview With Stephen Pitcairn .3. U.S. Civil Aircraft . Vol 5. by Joseph PJuptner.4. Pitcairn Aircraft Inc . brochure .5. Champion Spark Plug Co. press releasesand brochure.

LEGACY OF WINGSA Review by Gene Chase

Another new addition to the EAA VideoAviation Series is Legacy of Wings, thestory of Harold Frederick Pitcairn, an American aviation pioneer. whose eHorts and accomplishments are reflected In many facetsof aviation today. As a young boy he wasfascinated with manned flight and in histeens was designing, building and flyingmodel airplanes. including a delta wing anda rotary wing .He took flight traming at one of Glenn Curtiss's flying schools dunng World War I Hisfirst airplane was a Farman Sport biplanewhich he flew from the family farm . The farm .near Bryn Athyn . Pennsyvanla . became theoriginal Pitcairn Field in 1924 and when itwas dedicated. some 20,000 spectatorsshowed up to witness the festivities . Thatsame year . Harold Pitcairn informed his wifethat he had made the deCISion to make aVI-ation his career.A quiet man. Harold Pitcairn shunned thespotlight but he worked tirelessly to improveboth the scope and safety of aviation. Hissenes of Pitcairn Mailwlngs were great Im-provements over the machines being flownby airmail pilots.Pitcairn started his own airline which became one of today's major carriers . EasternAirlines. He was intrigued with rotary-wingcraft and traveled to Europe to meet Juan dela Cierva who had made rotary-wing flight arealtiy .In time. Harold Pitcairn developd his ownrotary-wing craft and his patents, which dateback to 1926, were purchased by IgorSikorsky and incorporated in the XR-4, theworld's first helicopter.This video includes rare. historic footagefrom amateur home movies showing flight ofmany Pitcairn aircraft including autogiros.Home movies and newsreel clips show theautogiro performing loops and landing andtaking o from unusual places includingChicago's Soldier Field and the White House


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. . . . .. . .. . . .. ..

y George A Hardie Jr.This neat little biplane was producedby a radio manufacturer in the late1920s. The photo, submitted by EdPeck of Waddy. Kentucky, shows theairplane in a restored state in its laterlife at Lexington, Kentucky. It would appear to be an attractive subject fortoday's homebuilders. Answers will bepublished in the February 1987 issue of

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE Deadlinefor that issue is December 10 . 1986.The Mystery Plane in the August1986 issue was no mystery to Mike Re-

dit and Palmquist, and was powered bya Warner 125. The name came aboutby taking the first half of one name,'Con , and the last half of the otherman's name, 'Quist' and they came upwith Conquist. As far as I know only oneexample was built.Norman Orloff of San Antonio, Texaswrote: The terminal building in thebackground looks just like the north endof the old Chicago Municipal terminal

as seen from the airport side during myearly visits to Muny in 1934-1935. Healso identified the airplane as the Conquist 1.Ed Flannery, Park Ridge, New Jersey, thought the plane was a Cresent(Crescent?) built by Clarence Chamberlin at Teterboro Airport. He added,A Cresent is now at the bottom of alake in New Hampshire, flown in by abootlegger.


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Restoration CornerEditor's Note: Assembly and Riggings the title o this ninth installment o theRestoration Corner series. AuthorGene Morris s an airline captain livingn Roanoke, Texas and he also serveson the Antique/Classic Division Boardo Directors.ASSEMBLY AND RIGGINGy Gene MorrisEAA 81175, le 1877)Now that you 've brought yourairplane up through all the variousstages of rebuilding/restoring, you haveprobably learned all that you can absorbabout good working habits. You will, ofcourse, continue with these habits andyou will have gotten to know your A&PIIA very well by now.Hopefully he can be considered anexpert on your airplane. If not. I wouldat least contact someone who has beenthere before even if it's by telephone, you can pick up a lot of good

ideas. This is not to say that your A&Pis not capable, but it's part of sharingexperiences and ideas with each other.My restoration experience is limitedcompared to some, but I have helpedseveral people where I could , and amvery happy and flattered to do so .I once flew our old Travel Air 4 toHartford , Wisconsin from our home(then) near Chicago so the FAA couldcompare it with Tom Hegy's to determine if they were constructed alike.They were and they gave him his engine installation STC on the groundsthat mine once had the same engineinstalled in 1937.If you are a newcomer to antique or

leading edge attach points or may havemore than one bolt hole for mountingthese pieces. Some knowledgeable tipscould prevent you from having to takeit apart after you've flown it and foundit out of rig . The same situation existsfor some vertical fins.Believe it or not, I once saw aturnbuckle tightened too tight to pivoton an elevator up horn and theturnbuckle failed during a landing flareabout four feet above the runway. Whata landing, but there was no damage' Inyour assembly of movable items, theymust be allowed to move.If the empennage is braced withstreamline wires, treat them carefullyusing masking tape or similar protectionon the crescent wrench used to adjustthem. The tightness will be a consensusbetween you and your A&P. Be sure toguard against pulling the surfaces outof plumb. Also, you will notice that oneend of the wire has right-hand threadswhile those on the other end are lefthand. Your good working habits will insure that you do not lose the left-handjam nut'Most aircraft have specified limits ofcontrol surface travel so you should useyour bubble protractor for that step .Wings

Some folks get the urge to taxi theirpride and joy before installing the wings .A word of caution is in order here. Ona tail dragger the wings represent a significant amount of weight aft of the landing gear. This translates into an airframe without wings that is very light inthe tail and even a slight appl ication ofbrakes while tax iing could result in asudden shortening of the propeller . Howdo you suppose I would know that?

To make it simple and very basic. I'llstart with the typical high wing monoplane like the Champ, Cub, T-craft , etc.The wings attach to the fuselage with abolt at the front spar and one at the rearspar. If it were not for your friend holdingup the wing tip , it would fall to theground. A real must for this operation isthree or four drift punches to get thatinitial hold on the holes until you canline them up for the bolts. Also, youshould have a fiber hammer to tap inthe bolts. Take care not to ruin thethreads during this process.Before the wings went up in place,you have have fastened the lower strutto the fuselage. All that is required nowis to raise the strut up to the wing and1 and behold, it will fit perfectly, and Idon't know of an airplane that will notstand upright with just one wing panel- unless it's Ken Hyde's Jenny. I knowfor a fact that the old Travel Air stoodup, almost straight, with both wings onone side.After both wings are on and the ailerons are in place, you will once again getinto the cable tension game . Thankgoodness for ball bearing pullies, because a little too much cable tension onthe old type pulleys can really make forstiff controls.A common error at this point is gettingthe aileron cables crossed. Be sure thatyou have them properly identified andtied off correctly before putting thewings on.

Sometimes, if the cables are crossed,the movement one way will be heavierthan the other. Again, how do you suppose I would know that?There are a couple of things to bearin mind when rigging the aileron cables.Naturally you will want the control wheel


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dihedral as designed into the aircraft.After the two struts are attached tothe wing, stand at the tip and look toward the fuselage, sighting down thebottom of the wing . The wing panelshould have a slight twist in it, with thetrailing edge at the tip being about 1/2inch higher than at the wing root. Thisis called wash-out, and it's obtained byincreasing the length of the rear strut.It's also a good idea to stand in frontof your airplane and eyeball for uniformity of the wash-out on the left and rightpanels, just like you did with your modelairplanes. Wash-in and wash-outapplies to all wings regardless of structure, i.e., struts, wires, or however theymay be attached .Do not under any circumstancesallow the wings to be washed-in (trailingedge at wing tip lower than root rib) .This condition will cause the tips to stallfirst and your airplane will be a real bitchto fly. Conversely, when the wings havewash-out the wing root stalls first givinga straight ahead stall as well as retaining aileron control for a longer periodof time.Of course, you have seen that all fuellines are in place in that tiny little spacebetween the wing root rib and the fuselage as well as the wiring to the winglights and the pitot/static lines.Be sure the wing-to-fuselage fairings(when used), are in good shape andfastened securely to the airframe . Weonce had a PA -12 in Alaska that nobodycould land decently. We finally determined that the wing fairing was loosejust behind the windshield and duringthe landing flare that little bit of fairingsticking up adversely affected theairflow over the tail surfacesOne more thing about w a ~ ~ h i n andwash-out. Since the ailerons nave thesame amount of droop with t h ~ stick orwheel centered, they will be a 1justedcorrectly. Should your airpla" e flystraight and level , hands off, and oneaileron is up and one is down, do notre-adjust the ailerons Correct the con dition by lengthening the rear strut tothe wing with the "up" aileron. Make

Photo by T l oatonGene Morris flying his 1931 American Eaglet, NC548Y,

the stick and the landing gear lever. Ifinally broke down and put a tab on it .My 1931 American Eaglet has noelevator trim system at all so we carrythe rubber band on cross countryflights, attached to the seat belt andover the stick. The resulting back pressure on the stick corrects a slight noseheavy condition. he price o stayingoriginal .Biplanes

I only have experience with one biplane, our old Travel Air 4000 . On thatplane the center section is adjustable

available for most airplanes and theseinstructions should definitely be fol-lowed. I would guess that it's really agood feeling to put a biplane togetherand have it fly perfectly the first t ime lIf the flying and landing wires aren't"strearTllined" into the slipstream, theymay flutter during flight. This conditionshould be remedied immediately, asflutter can mean failure.If you are not already familiar with therod terminals, you should know theyhave a small opening called a witnesshole in the side of the shank. This is thegauge to assure that the rod end isscrewed into the terminal at least that


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CLIVW I ~ fCUI3

Green grass and Cubs go together Short wings and struts of Clip Wing conversion areplainly visible along with large NC number on wing.by Norm Petersen(Photos by Carl Schuppel, except asnoted)

Although the title of this article is "ClipWing Cub, the actual true title shouldin reality be "Clip Wing Cub with a Purpose " And the people involved are a49-year-old father and his son, a 17year-old high school senior who is justlearning to spread his wings. Read on .Henry Geissler, (EAA 86004, AlC4179), Rt . 1, Box 177C, Webster, Min

When Western Airlines established abase in Minneapolis in 1977, Henrymoved to the "Land of Sky Blue Waters"and took up residency on a beautiful airstrip called Sky Harbor Air Park near

With Henry in the rear seat and Chuck in thefront, the father-son team is ready to go outand bore some holes in the sky. Shoulderharnesses are standard procedure.Webster . Minnesota . A home with ahangar on an airstrip was just what hewas looking for . Henry'S oldest daughter helped him fly the UPF-7 from Seattle to Webster on a memorable trip .

About this time, a cabin airplaneseemed a logical choice, so he purchased a basket case Cessna C-34 Airmaster (N15463, SIN 302) in Oklahomaand hauled it home in a trailer. It turnedout to be a very early C-34 (3rd production model) with the narrow landing gearand small rudder. An earlier owner hadupgraded from a 145 Warner to a 165.As the Cessna was slowly rebuilt tonear new condition, the hangar was getting crowded with Waco and Cessna inevery corner' This problem was solvedby selling the UPF-7 to Bill Knight (EAA72394 AIC 4201) of Brodhead, Wisconsin . The restoration of the Airmasterwas completed in 1984, and that yearit garnered the award for the "Outstanding Closed Cockpit Monoplane - Contemporary Age" at Oshkosh.


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Instrument panel ;,as been restored to standard layout. Henry has located Cubairspeed and tachometer to Improve it some more Note Inverted fuel selector on fueltank with sight gauge to the right.

oil. The Cub passed through severalowners including noted aerobatic pilotMarion Cole when age began to take itstoll.The previous owner, before Henry,had started welding repairs to the fuselage tubing, mostly around the tailpost.These repairs were completed as wellas several new sections of longerons.Once this was done, the Cub fuselagewas sandblasted and epoxy primed.Henry's son, Chuck, who was now 14really got into the rebuild with the covering job. Ceconite 102 was usedthroughout with Randolph butyratedope. A total of 12 coats were put onwith Chuck doing all the sanding between each coat. The stark evidence ofhis ability shows up in the nearly mirrorsmooth finish on the Clip Wing.A large sky light was installed in theroof of the cabin for better visibility whiledoing aerobatics. In addition, Henry fabricated a tiny wooden panel to hold a

Meanwhile, in 1981 , Henry caughtwind of a J-3 Clip Wing Cub that wasavailable as a basket case in theCarolinas. Figuring that his 12-year-oldson , Chuck, would be about ready tolearn to fly in a few years, Henry purchased the Cub, N2039M, SIN 20807, -rom Carter Fairchild (EAA 256119) anddrove his pickup and trailer 10 the mountains of South Carolina to retrieve theproject. Henry admits it was quite a trip ,having never been in that part of theU.S. before.The logbooks on N2039M reveal itwas built in October, 1946 and delivered to North Carolina. In September,1947, it suffered major damage in anaccident with only 87 hours on the aircraft. It next flew in 1958 as a ReedConversion, Clip Wing Cub, havingbeen dormant for 11 years. In 1965, aContinental C-85 FHJ fuel injected en Jogging along at 1500 feet, the Clip Wing Cub makes a beautiful sight as Henry andgine was installed with inverted fuel and Chuck pull ahead of the photo plane. Very nice restoration work shows all over."G" meter which is suspended from thetwo overhead tubes. This allows the instrument panel to remain "originaL "The wings, which are 7 feet shorterthan a standard Cub - about the sameas a Vagabond or Clipper - were co


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Henry and Chuck kneel In front of their J-3 lip Wing Cub. New, all-metal cowling waspurchased from Unlvalr and Installed to give that "new look".Although the price of Cub brakes andtires has increased beyond all rhymeand reason , Henry elected to stay withthe original - and pay the price' He

readily admits they are not the world'sgreatest brakes, but thankfully, on aCub, they aren t that necessary. A pairof Wag Aero fiberglass wheel pantswere added to dress up the aircraft andkeep the bottom of the wings clean .New upholstery was done by the Upholstery Shop at Flying Cloud Field inEden Prairie and was one of the fewjobs farmed out by Henry . The workmanship is absolutely first class - al beit a bit spendy. While this was beingdone, the propeller was being overhauled at Maxwell Prop Shop andKenny Maxwell did a fine job on the 7x 42 mirror finish prop.The engine was installed as receivedas it had been overhauled according to

the previous owner. However, oil consumption is running a bit high, so Henryexpects to go through it th is comingwinter - which is plenty long in Minnesota'Although an honest effort was madeto have the Clip Wing at Oshkosh '85,it didn't fly until late August of that year .Final inspection was done by WadeLowry (EAA 138970, A.C 6253) ofLakeville, Minnesota who signed off thebeautiful yellow Cub that had absorbednearly three years of work by Henry andhis son.The restored Cub turned out to be anexcellent flyer and with the climb propon the Continental C-85 , it really getsoff quick and climbs like a homesickangel. Henry admits it is not a "wild"aerobatic mount, but is a good aerobatic trainer. Many Clip Wing Cubshave won "Sportsman" Class awards at

lAC contests . Incidentally, the 12-gallonfuel tank has a sealed cap on it for aerobatic work with a vent tube that runsfrom the top of the fuel tank to the lowergear leg and vents by the wheel. Thisallows breathing in all attitudes. Fuellevel is monitored on a sight gage onthe tank itself . When going to air shows,a standard J-3 gas cap with the corkand wire gauge is put on for show.When purchased, the Clip Wing hadshort , straight exhaust stacks that wereunbelievably loud - both in the air andon the ground. Scouting high and low,Henry finally located a set of standardexhaust pipes at American Aviation inEden Prairie which he promptly purchased from owner Don Stuber. Henryis quite vociferous in his praise of Johnand Don Stuber, who have been a partof the aviation scene in Minnesota fornearly 50 years' (Henry calls them the"Good Guys. ) The new exhaust systemreally quieted things down and even theneighbors at the Sky Park approveWith Chuck turning 7 and a seniorin high school the hard work and soremuscles are starting to payoff as hehas soloed the Clip Wing and is buildingtime towards his private license. Nowthe true purpose of the Cub is comingforth . Henry feels this is "the only wayto fly" (Western Airlines motto) and ispleased that Chuck is learning how tofly from scratch - in a tail dragger without an electrical system'And besides after flying a 8-727 airliner all day, it is most relaxing to comehome and fly the Clip Wing Cub aroundthe patch - throwing in a few rolls andloops for spice Perhaps this winter thefather and son combination will be ableto put a pair of skis on the Cub andreally have some fun . That's what Cubsare all about ?


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WEL OME NEW MEMBERSThe following is a listing of new members who have joined the EAA Antique Classic Division (through July 281986). We are honored to welcome them into the organization whose members ' common interest is vintage aircraft .Succeeding issues of THE VINT GE IRPL NE will contain additional listings of new members.

Barker, John D.Heanor. Derby. Eng landDyko, LolaMarlboro. MassachusettsMurphy, Patrick J.Jasper. GeorgiaDyer, Timothy J.Wadesville . IndianaKepner Jr., Paul R.Garland, TexasDavis, William T.long Beach. CaliforniaMonaghan, Patrick W.Baltimore . MarylandIdell, Karl S.Halifax, PennsylvaniaRiley, Burhl E.Youngwood, PennsylvaniaBakke, StephenKalispell . MontanaGraves, Kenneth B.Fayetteville, New YorkStrUCk, LarryByron. CaliforniaPetersen, Wayne S.Minneapolis, MinnesotaLawler, GlennAuburn, AlabamaRusso, Frankl Grange, IllinoisWoodford, John

Culbertson Jr ., EdwardGradyville. Pennsylvan iaFerguson, Michael D.He lena . MontanaHansen, Carl I.Melvin Vi llage . New HampshireJohnson, GaryManawa. WisconSinToncray, SteveCh icago, IllinoisRehrig, Norman W.Andreas. PennsylvaniaWert, James A.McClure. PennsylvaniaFiniello Jr ., John G.Albuquerque, New MexicoMacFarlane, IanPonteland, North EnglandFillingim, Daniel C.Nashua, New HampshireGlynn, FrancisCrofton, MarylandLemcke, Robert H.Middletown , WisconsinKolb, NormanCherokee . IowaKolb, HomerPhoenixville, PennsylvaniaLandry, Michael J.Virginia Beach, VirginiaStarke, Richard A.

Osterberg, BruceNiagara. WisconsinMoore, BillRaymondville. MissouriKettles, Donaldlansing. MichiganStange, RobertCh icago. IllinoisDatry, Eric LeeAtlanta. GeorgiaCrawford, William D.Monticello, KentuckyRoland, Ronald W.Dallas. TexasOlson, David E.WaShington. PennsylvaniaTanner, Claude H.Boise, IdahoHayward, Kenlynnwood, WashingtonSteen Jr., William H.Shreveport, lo u isianaTomaine, James J.Endicott, New YorkRilling, Robert L.Palmdale, CaliforniaThorsen, Gunvald B.Whittier, CaliforniaGriffin, Terry R.Bangor. MaineMrazek, Jerry

Thompson, Lewis E.Thornton . IllinOISFobes, William E.Madison. WisconsinSohl, KevinFargo. North DakotaCataline, George P.Escondido. CaliforniaOwings, J. RandallWarrensburg. Ill inOISWilliams, DickBertram, TexasNokes, Robert K.Highland, IndianaMcGrew, James C.APO, New York, New YorkBinford, Chris R.McCall, IdahoBendig, John B.Waterford . PennsylvaniaStanley, Oswaldlaht i, FinlandSmith, Frederick M.lindenhurst, New YorkKuntz, Reinhart, O.lilburn. GeorgiaWamego III, William O.Glenpool. OklahomaStahl, BradleyTu lsa. OklahomaMash, Donald E.


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, y p lu ActivitiesCompiled by Gene Chase

RED FACE DEPARTMENTThe best laid plans . . . etc. We inadvertently omitted the following threeType Clubs from the annual listing inthe September, 1986 issue of THE VIN-

TAGE AIRPLANE. We apologize forany inconvenience this may havecaused .Buckeye Pietenpol AssociationFrank S. Pavliga, Newsletter Editor2800 S Turner RoadCanfield, OH 44406216/792 6269 (day)216/792 6269 (eve.)Newsletter: QuarterlyDues: $7.50 per yearSeabee Club Int'lCapt. Richard Sanders4734 N W. 49th CourtFt Lauderdale, FL 33319305/485 5769Newsletter: Quarterly, plus phone consultationDues: $12.00 U.S and Canada$18.00 ElsewhereNational Stinson Club108 SectionGeorge and Linda Leamy11 7 Lanford RoadSpartanburg, SC 29301803/5769698Newsletter: QuarterlyDues: $15.00 per year

\ t . ~ N A T O ~c-

18i (-;;.------185

CLUINC.

On July 31 most of the members proceeded to the EAA Convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The event was so successful that it will probably be a clubget-together every year. It was hostedby midwest director of the International180.185 Club, John Hintermeister ofMuscatine, Iowa.For information on the International180/185 Club. Inc contact the president, C. E. Bombardier , 4539 N. 49thAvenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85031. 602846-6236.

TWIN BONANZA ASSOCIATIONThe First Annual Twin Bonanza Association Convention will be held atJekyll Island, Georgia on May 22-23,1987. Headquartered at the Hilton Inn,a variety of events will include a technical seminar for those interested in the

operation and maintenance of their aircraft. The program will also include social activities, golfing and island touring.The Twin Bonanza Association, nowone year old, is open to all persons interested in joining together to share experiences and assist in documentingthis classic aircraft so that it takes itsrightful place in aviation history.For further information contact Mr.Richard I Ward, Twin Bonanza Association, 19684 Lakeshore Drive, ThreeRivers, M149093, phone 616 /279 254 .

cerns, provided the airplane is operatedwithin the approved flight envelope.Following this conclusion. however,the FAA made three recommendationsfor further action that the ABS Boardfelt needed immediate response:First that Phase II of the study determine definitively the tail failuremechanisms , establish the structuralstrength of the tail. and theaerodynamic loads on the tail by flight,static and wind tunnel tests. These testsbegan in March of 1986, with the windtunnel tests completed in June, withflight testing to follow. Tests continue atthis date with the full support of the ABSBoard, the FAA and Beechcraft.Second the FAA Small Airplane Em-pennage FAAllndustry Loads WorkingGroup is currently reviewing the Airworthiness Standards requirements for theV-Tail configuration, again with the fullsupport of the Board.And third, the ABS Board announcedthat it is vigorously pursuing the finalrecommendation of the FAA report byupgrading and expanding its alreadyhighly acclaimed Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program to include video tapedPilot Proficiency seminars, as well asan expanded schedule of regionallyconducted flight seminars and the addition of an advanced flight seminar forinstrument flight proficiency.In so doing, the Board reemphasizedits goal is the safety of its members aswell as all Bonanza flyers, and it believes that this goal is best met by itsfull support of the results of the FAAstudy and by the participation of allBonanza pilots in a pilot training program designed specifically to enhancetheir ability to safely operate high performance aircraft.For information on the AmericanBonanza Society, contact Cliff R.Sones, Administrator, Mid-Continent


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PL Nf ~ o Vny PUflPOSf

by Gene Chase

Photo by Carl SchuppelBob Winchester joins up on the photo plane in his 1928 Travel Air E4000 over Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh. It was named SilverAge Champion at Oshkosh '86.

(Photos by the author except as noted)As a kid on the airport fence whilegrowing up in Michigan, Bob Winchester (EAA 18878, AlC 9321), R.R. 2, Box33 -A, Charlevoix, MI 49720 was in


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in Columbia, California. The owner hadlost his medical and decided to sel lThe Travel Air had been restored bywell-known Joe Pfeifer in 1972 and waspowered with a 220 hp Continental W-670 swinging a ground adjustableHamilton Standard propeller. A dealwas consumated and Bob Winchesterbecame the proud owner of NC9048 inMay of this year.In visiting with Bob during Oshkosh'86 he hadn't had a chance to researchall the plane's history but he does knowit was originally built as a Model W4000with a 110 hp Warner engine and delivered to its first owner in Los Angeles inDecember, 1928. NC9048 was used asa duster for part of its career and converted back to a two-holer by a Mr. Lar-son in the 1960s.Unfortunately Bob doesn't have allthe original logs for the plane but helearned some more of the Travel Air'sprevious history at Oshkosh '86 from aman who had more than a passing interest in NC9048. Boardman C Reed(EAA 85470, AlC 1069) fromBrownsville, California informed Bobthat he flew this same plane in 1936when it had a 225 hp Wright J-5 forpower.NC9048 is currently registered as amodel E4000 and is finished in the colors as described in a factory brochure:Travel Air Blue and InternationalOrange. The color scheme is authenticbut Bob is not posit ive the blue is theexact shade. The covering is Grade Acotton with nitrate dope and it's holdingup well after 14 years. The plane hasalways been hangared during theseyears, including each night during Bob'sflight in it from California to Michigan.Its first nights out-of-doors since Bobowned it were those at Oshkosh '86,where it was named Silver Age Champion . This is an award for antiques builtduring the 1928-1932 period.

All the instruments (seven total) arenot only antique, but most are the factory-installed originals.(L-R) Boardman C Reed and Bob Winchester. Mr. Reed flew this same Travel ir in1936 when it was powered by a Wright JS. The two had much to talk about at Oshkosh86.


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Travel ir NC9048, SIN 849, is registered as a model E4000 with its 220 hp Continental. Colors are Travel ir Blue fuselage withInternational Orange wings and tail.An unusual sight is the installation oftwo throttles in the rear cockpit - oneon each side. Bob said that many TravelAir enthusiasts aren't aware this wasstandard on the model 4000s. The frontpit has a throttle on the left side only.Typically, the front cockpit has no instruments or brakes - only stick andrudder controls.Bob loves the nostalgic feeling he experiences while flying NC9048. It's verylight on the controls, fully predictablewith gentle stall characteristics, and

he 's pleased that it is reasonably fast.At 1775 rpm it indicates 115 mph. Herecently checked the speed while flyingwith another plane so feels the airspeed indicator is reasonably accurate.Bob's wife has a private license andenjoys flying with him in the Travel Air .She hasn't checked out in it yet buteventually she will.Every1ime Bob flies NC9048 herealizes why they were so popular intheir day (and still are) . Even the firstmodels powered with the 90 hp Curtiss

OX-5 engines were considered bymany to be the best of the OX-5 powered aircraft . While he was looking fora Travel Air, everyone he talked withwho had flown them had nothing butkind words for the handsome old biplanes.Expecting the most when he madehis first flight in a Travel Air, he was stillpleasantly surprised that a plane couldbe so delightful to fly. And when powered with a round engine, They reallylet you know you 're flying .

tions of over 40 new civil aircraft. Doyou recognize some of these names? and executive aircraft. The last year ofpilot reports for light aircraft was 1950.

(Continued from Page 5)

sion was made after two years of studyof the trends in air progress.


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Compiled by Gene Chase

Sheet Metal ToolsOf interest to restorers of antique andclassic aircraft are two new productsmanufactured by U.S. Industria l Tool &Supply Company. Added to its line ofsheet metal tools is a new model benchtype metal shrinker and stretcher.Unlike other bench model shrinker

and stretchers, the TP-395 comes witha large frame. It has a 8 throat depthwhich allows larger sheets of metal tobe formed.It is manually operated with a simplelever arm and is easily mounted to abench or stand .Because of the increased demand ,U.S. Industrial Tool & Supply Companyis now manufacturing an air operatedsheet metal planishing hammer thatwas discontinued by another manufacturer approximately 20 years ago.

rFloor model pl nishing h mmer .This unit can be used as a portabletool or a floor model. It removes ir-regularities in a metal surface by continuous hammering of the sheet between a slot and moving head . It canalso form various shapes in metal.Using an air regulator , a greater flowof air will allow it to hammer harder. Thepedestal model stands 46 . Both models have a 18 throat depth and are actuated by a simple mechanical pedal.

Portable pl nishing hammer.

Complete literature is available fromU.S. Industrial Tool & Supply Company,15143 Cleat Street, Plymouth , MI48170, phone 1-800-521-7394. Outsideof the U.S. phone 313 /455 3388 . New bench type metal shrinker and stretcher.

Piper PA-18 Fabrication and Repair Among the many items they fabricateJ. E. Soares, Inc. (FAA Repair Station for PA-18s are :D65-21) maintains a complete shop for 1 Complete tail post section from the


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ship numbers is the opportunity the TypeClub HQ gives us to bet1er serve our existingLetters To ditor members. Nothing beats working out prob

Dear Gene.This refers to your September back coverpicture of the Alexander Eaglerock . It is indeed a small world . That very aircraft is mostlikely the one that I first flew in . I have usedthat same picture in lectures for years . I donot know who the pilot is.The Union Oil Company of California wasone of the first to have a business fleet,mostly Travel Airs and Eaglerocks , with OX5s, Klnners and Wright J-5s . They did aerialphotography and surveying for oil and ferried

company executives. Carl lienesch, a petroleum chemist associate of my father's whowas well known in West Coast aviation, tookme on that first ride out of Monrovia Airport

Dear Butch .Our $25.00 worth of the security for theType Club Headquarters is enclosed.Thanks for the service. We are happy to pay

our share . Be sure to let us know if you needmore. As soon as the AERONCA AVIATORS CLUB treasury recovers from thesummer's expenses, another check will beforthcoming as a contribution to help oHsetexpenses for the tent .TYPE CLUB HEADQUARTERS hasquickly become a valuable asset to the EAA

on Thanksgiving Day, 1927, as is my bestrecollection . That depletes my memory.Llenesch told the story that I was so thrilledI fell asleep in the front cockpit. It is noteasy to be "vintage.I have been told that the Union Oil Company is writing a company aviation history. Iam sure that they can give you details ontheir fleet and that particular airplane.Thanks for a pleasant memory.

RegardsA. Scot1 Crossfield(EAA 161363)12100 Thoroughbred RoadHerndon , Virginia 22071

increased by 30-plus during the week. Wealso passed out over a hundred membershippackets, some of which are now beingmailed in. I would guess our participation in1986 will produce over 60 new members forthe Aeronca Aviators Club. Such numbersmay not be significant by EAA national standards, but to a type club 60 new membersare very significant indeed.But of greater importance than member

lems and answering questions face to face .1986 was an extremely productive year inthis regard . We can't imagine a better forumfor a member with a problem to find a solution . With all the expertise on hand at Oshkosh, problems just don't stand a chance .We want to thank you again for the greatjob you and the Antique/Classic Division aredoing. We plan to be back in Type Club HQin 1987. See you there.

All the best,Julie and Joe Dickey(EAA 62186, N 4169The Aeronca Aviators Club511 Terrace Lake RoadColumbus, IN 47201

Dear Gene,We just got our copy of the September1986 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANEwith the Aristocrat on the cover. Many thanksfor the article . Enclosed is a more recentphoto now that the ring cowl is in place. We

think it really makes the airplane.The Aristocrat is home safe in the hangar.Franny Rourke delivered it on August 1, theday the enclosed photo was taken. Dad andI have both flown it and we like it. We're stillworking out the little bugs, but hope to fly itto the Tulsa Fly-In at Tahlequah, Oklahoma(October 3-5) .With the 220 Continental it cruises at 110mph at 1800 rpm. I haven't found any1hingin its class that will outclimb it! It's very stableand flies a lot like other cabin monoplanesof that era .

Keep the antiques flying ,Brent TaylorExecutive DirectorAntique Airplane AssociationRt . 2, Box 172Ottumwa, IA 52501

Brent is the son of Robert L Taylor EAA839, lC 330) , Founder and President ofthe Antique Airplane Association with head-quarters at Antique Airfield, located betweenBlakesburg and Ottumwa. Iowa . G.R.C.


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This uncaptioned photo is one from a collection of World War Two photos recentlydonated to the EAA Photo Archives. It shows a badly damaged Beech Staggerwingsomewhere in the Pacific Theater according to the background. Do any readers haveknowledge of the incident?The Air Force serial number of the C-47 is 293245. Eight Gis can be seen pushingthe big Douglas while four others watch.

CALENDAR OFEVENTSMARCH 15-21 - LAKELAND. FLORIDA - 13thAnnual Sun n Fun EAA Flyln. Contact: BonnieHigbie. P. O. Box 6750. Lakeland. FL 33807.MA Y 22-23 - JEKYLL ISLAND. GEORGIA First Annual TWin Bonanza Association Convention with headquarters at the Hilton Inn

Te chn ical seminars and social activities. Contact : Richard I Ward. 19684 Lakeshore Drive.Three Rivers. MI 49093. 616279-2540.JULY 19-24 - SAN DIEGO. CALIFORNIA - 19thAnnual Convention of the International Cessna170 Association at Montgomery Field. Pr imary

motel is the new Holiday Inn on the airport.Contact: Duane and Prieta Shockey. 714278-9676.JUlY 24-26 - COFFEYVILLE . KANSAS - FunkAircraft Owners Association Annual Fly-In.Contact : Ray Pahls 454 South Summitown.Wichita. KS 67209.JU lY 31-AUGUST 6 - OSHKOSH. WISCONSIN- Worlds Greatest AViation Event. Experimental Aircraft AssoclallOn International Fly-Inand Sport AV iation Exhibition. Contact: JohnBurton. EAA Headquarters. Willman Airf ield.Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. 414426-4800

~ V l N T G E S E P L N E S ~


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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...25C per word, 20 word minimum. Send your ed to

he Vlnlege Tredef, Wlttmen AirfieldOahkoeh, W 54903-2591 .

AIRCRAFTStlnllOn LS-E, N5624V. Partially restored . Parts .manuals complete. Two engines. Fuselage andcontrols finished . Hard work done. N. Howell , 2t 313175646 or 805/4889353 . 6500.Rare 1948 Emigh Trojan, 1640 n . C90, 460SMOH. Recent annual. 11 ,900 or $12.500 wIKX 170A KT78, etc . Excellent. 503/838-1292. (13)

PLANSPOBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimitedin low-cost pleasure flying . Big, roomy cockpit forthe over six foot pilot. VW power insures hard tobeat 3 /2 gph at cruise setting . 15 large instructionsheets. Plans - $60.00. Info Pack - $5.00. Sendcheck or money order to : ACRO SPORT, INC.,Box 462, Hales Corners, W153130. 414/529-2609 .

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable ofunlimited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy tofollow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings, photos and exploded views. Complete partsand materials list. Full size wing drawings. Plans

plUS 139 page Builder's Manual - $60.00. InfoPack - 5.00. Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing $15.00. The Technique of Aircraft Building $10.00 plus $2.00 postage. Send check or moneyorder to : ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, HalesCorners, WI 53130. 414/5292609 .

ACRO II - The new 2place aerobatic trainer andsport biplane. 20 pages of easy to follow, detailedplans. Complete with isometric drawings, photos,exploded views. Plans - $85.00. Info Pac $5.00. Send check or money order to: ACROSPORT, INC., P.O. Box 462, Hales Corners, WI53130. 414/529-2609 .

ENGINES ACCESSORIESCONTINENTAL A-40-4 Complete, Engine$635.00. Also Taylorcraft 146 Wing Parts; OX-5Curtiss Engine Piston Rod Assemblies $75.00 set.OPALACK, 1138 Industrial , Pottstown, PA 19464.(12-2)

MISCELLANEOUSBACK ISSUES Back issues of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE (and other EAA Division publications)are available at 1 .25 per issue. Send your list ofissues desired along with payment to: Back Issues,EAAWittman Airfield , Oshkosh, WI 549032591 .FUEL CELLS - TOP QUALITY - Custom madebladder-type fuel tanks and auxiliary cells, anyshape or capacity for Warbirds, Experimental, Vintage , Sport and Acrobatic aircraft. Lightweight,crashworthy, baHled and collapsible for installation.Typical delivery 23 weeks. Call or write for details :1-800-526-5330, Aero Tec labs , Inc. (ATl), SpearRoad Industrial Park, Ramsey, NJ 07446. (C5/87)

WANTEDWanted - 1940 T-craft front lift strut needed tocomplete antique rebuild . Dick Ellis, Bozeman, MT,406/586-5419. (11-2)Wanted - Operation and Construction plans for1927 Buhl Airster, two-cockpit biplane, Model CA3A, Wright J-5 motor. George W. Polhemus, P.O.Box 1208, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372. /87)

VINTAGE TRADER AD fORMSend check or money order with copy to Vintage Trader - EAA, Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.


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MEMBERSHIPINFORMATIONEAA

Membership in the ExperimentalAircraft Association. Inc . is 30.00for one year. including 2 issues ofSport Aviation. Junior Membership(under 19 years of age) is availableat 18.00 annually. Family Membership is available for an additional10.00annually.ANTIQUE/CLASSICS

EAA Member - 18.00. Includesone year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division. 2 monthlyissues of The Vintage Airplane andmembership card. Applicant mustbe a current EAA member and mustgive EAA membership number.Non-EAA Member - 28.00 In-cludes one year membership in theEAA Antique-Classic Division. 12monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane, one year membership in theEAA and separate membershipcards. Sport Aviation not included.

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

America , Inc . is $25 .00 per year,which includes a subscription toWarblrds. Warbird members arerequired to be members of EAA.

LIGHT PLANE WORLDEAA membership and ight PlaneWorld magazine is available for25. per year (Sport Aviation notincluded). Current EAA membersmay receive ight Plane World for$15.00per year.

FOREIGN

WWl THE JOURNAL OFTHE EARLY AEROPLANE

~ most authoritatlYejournal on \\ibn


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: R ~ C E l~ : L . ~ Z E lpO\\/h ~ l t t I (IUjU I l l Ia , ,

" r lllu lllw l'..-uISfIItIt

For theproducts.

CLE N SHINE PROTECT

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THE CHOICE OF THE GRAND CHAMPION WINNERS* PROVEN DURABILITY ON THOUSANDS OF AIRCRAFT.* FAA-STC AND PMA FOR OVER 630 AIRCRAFT MODELS.* ALL COATINGS DEVELOPED ESPECIALL Y FOR AIRCRAFTFABRIC.* WILL NOT SUPPORT COMBUSTION.* LIGHTEST COVERING METHOD APPROVED UNDER

FAA STC AND PMA.* MOST ECONOMICAL COVERING METHOD CONSIDERINGYEARS OF TROUBLE-FREE SERVICE.WRITE OR PHONE FOR FREE. * SAMPLE OF HIGH STRENGTH, VERY SMOOTH, 1.7 OZ.POLYESTER FABRIC DEVELOPED ESPECIALLY FORAIRCRAFT COVERING.* MANUAL 1 WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR FABRICCOVERING, REFINISHING FABRIC SURFACES, ANDPAINTING AIRCRAFT FOR CORROSION CONTROL.* LATEST CATALOG AND DISTRIBUTOR LIST.STITS POLY-FIBERIRCRAFT COATINGSP. o. BOX 30B4-V RIVERSIDE, CA 92519PHONE (714) 684-4280

Classic ownersInterior looking shabby?

Finish it right with anairtex interiorComplete interior assemblies for doityourself installation.

Custom Quality at economical prices . Cushion upholstery sets Wall panel sets He adliners Carpet sets Baggage compartment sets Firewall covers Seat Slings Recover envelopes an d dopes

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Free Catalog of complete product line. Fabric Selection Guideshowing actu al sample colors and styles of materials: $3.00.

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Documents

Vintage Airplane - Nov 1986